Santa Clara-Saint Mary's Game Notes
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After splitting a pair of games last week in Southern California, Santa Clara plays its third straight road contest Thursday facing Saint Mary's.
The Broncos downed Loyola Marymount, 76-72, Thursday before falling 88-76 Saturday at Pepperdine on its senior day.
Santa Clara and Saint Mary's met on Dec. 23 in the Broncos' conference home opener with the Gaels winning 82-59. Evan Fitzer led four players in double figures and SMC shot 64 percent from the floor.
SANTA CLARA (10-18, 6-10) at Saint Mary's (22-4, 13-3)
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 • McKeon Pavilion (3,500) • 8 p.m. PST
TV: Barry Tompkins (play-by-play), Dan Belluomini (analyst)
Live Stream: TheW.tv (blackout in local markets)
Radio: KSCU (103.3 FM) - Anthony Passarelli (play-by-play) and John Stege (analyst)
Live Stats: www.SMCGaels.com
Tickets: www.SMCGaels.com
Radio/Live Stream: Anthony Passarelli (play-by-play) and John Stege (color) will call the action for the Broncos on KSCU 103.3 FM. The game can be heard over the air or online through tunein. All Broncos home games and West Coast Conference contests (not on an ESPN platform) will also be streamed through TheW.tv (local blackout restrictions apply for games broadcast over the air).
Quick Hits...
• After dropping their first seven games of the season, the Broncos, led by ninth-year head coach Kerry Keating, have gone 10-11 since Nov. 29.
• Jared Brownridge, in his third year as a starter, ranks second in the WCC and No. 27 nationally in the scoring (20.2 ppg). He has hit 82.8 percent of his free throws (fifth in the WCC) and his 135 makes from the charity stripe are tied for No. 50 in the NCAA this year. He also ranks tied for 21st nationally in 3-point field goals (82). Brownridge is one of five players in the nation to rank in the top 50 of both those categories. Josh Adams (Wyoming), Stefan Moody (Ole Miss), Elijah Brown (New Mexico) and Frank Eaves (Appalachian St.).
• KJ Feagin, the team's second-leading scorer (11.4 ppg), has emerged in the last two months as consistent scoring option and distributor. The freshman guard has scored in double figures 14 times in the last 20 games after hitting that mark just once in the first eight contest. He has posted eight or more assists three times in WCC action and ranks second in the league among freshman (ninth overall) in assists (3.8 pg).
• Junior forward Nate Kratch leads the team in both rebounding (8.0 pg/fifth in the WCC) and FG percentage (53.4/sixth in the WCC), and is third in scoring (9.2 ppg).
• Despite playing less than three seasons, Brownridge already ranks second in school history with 266 career 3-pointers and 11th in scoring (1,641 points). In addition, his career scoring average (17.6 ppg) ranks tied for No. 5 on the Broncos all-time chart and his career 3-point field-goal percentage (42.1) is tops in school history. After missing most of preseason practice Brownridge had an uneven start to the year, but started to heat up in December. He has scored in double figures in the last 19 games, averaging 21.7 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the floor, including 44.9 from behind the 3-point line.
• Nine of Santa Clara's 18 losses have been by eight points or less, including seven that were within three and four in overtime. The Broncos are 5-7 in games decided by four points or less, but have won the last two.
• The Broncos have three players on the shelf. Sophomore guard Evan Wardlow (broken right wrist) has missed the last 16 games and will not play the rest of the season. Sophomore forward Jarvis Pugh (knee) missed the previous seven games before playing against Saint Mary's (Dec. 23), but sat out the last 14 though is close to returning. Junior guard Brendyn Taylor (concussion) missed seven games and freshman forward Tony Lewis (leg) has not played this season.
Boost From the Bench...
In the Santa Clara's last two victories, the bench provided some offensive punch. Led by 16 points from Matt Hubbard, the Broncos received a season-best 39 bench points in a 74-71 victory over San Diego (Feb. 11). The four bench players also shot a combined 52 percent from the floor (14 of 27) and dished out 12 assists with only three turnovers. In Thursday's win vs. LMU, the four bench players tallied 25 points on 8 of 16 shooting with 22 of the team's 36 rebounds. Brendyn Taylor had nine points, while Nate Kratch chipped in eight point and eight rebounds in his first game coming off the bench this season. The Broncos' four bench players had 18 points (5 of 13 FGs) Saturday vs. Pepperdine.
Additional Scoring Punch...
The Broncos have been searching for additional scoring threats and lately sophomore forward Matt Hubbard and junior guard Brendyn Taylor have provided some offense. After a stretch of scoring a total of six points in four games, Hubbard has averaged 8.9 in the last seven, including a career-high 16 vs. San Francisco (Feb. 6). He has also hit 48.0 percent from the field (24 of 50) in that span. Taylor has put together his most productive stretch, using his athleticism to average 6.9 points during the last seven games on 50-percent shooting from the floor (14 of 28). He has also dished out 13 assists, including a career-high six vs. San Diego (Feb. 11), and just three turnovers, while averaging 18.6 minutes.
Tidbits...
• With 26 points in Saturday's Pepperdine game, Jared Brownridge (1,641) moved from 11th to 10th on the school's career scoring list, passing Evan Roquemore (1,627/2010-14). Brownridge needs two more to reach Londale Theus (1,643/1978-80) in ninth.
• Brownridge has scored 20 or more points 13 times this season, including 10 of the last 18 games. He has posted 30-plus points in three games, including a career-high 44 vs. Arizona (Nov. 26) in the Wooden Legacy. Brownridge is the only player in school history to post 38 or more points in a game three times. In fact, only one other player has done it twice. Ken Sears had 39 at Saint Mary's (Feb. 28, 1955) and then 41 vs. Pacific (March, 4, 1955).
• Since an 0-for-3 performance from the free-throw line at Pacific (Dec. 21), KJ Feagin has connected on 41 of 46 free throws (89.1 percent). He has improved from 59.1 to 80.6 percent from the line in the last 13 games. Feagin has moved to No. 6 in the WCC in free-throw percentage, second among freshmen.
• During the first 15 games of the season, Santa Clara only had as many as three players in double figures six times. In the last 13 games, three or more players have reached double figures nine times. The Broncos are 8-7 when at least three players reach double figures, including 3-0 with four players scoring 10 or more.
Scouting the Gaels...
The Gaels are the top shooting team in the nation, connecting on 50.8 percent of their field goal attempts, including fifth from behind the 3-point line (42.8 percent). They also have the top assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.73-to-1 and rank No. 6 in the country in fewest turnovers (9.6 pg). Saint Mary's is also strong defensive team, ranking No. 5 in the nation in points allowed (60.2 per game) and 56th (No. 2 in the WCC) in opponent field-goal percentage (40.7). Sophomore guard Emmett Naar leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. Sophomore forward Calvin Hermanson is second in scoring (11.3 ppg) and junior guard Joe Rahon third (10.5 ppg). Six players average at least 9.0 points pg. The Gaels are out-rebounding opponents an average of 6.7 per game with junior forward Dane Pineau hauling in a team-high 8.0 per contest.
The Saint Mary's Series...
Santa Clara and Saint Mary's are longtime rivals and original West Coast Conference members. The series began in 1910 and the teams will be playing for the 220th time, the most common opponent in Santa Clara history. The Broncos lead the series 133-86. The Gaels have won three of the last five meetings. The Broncos last won at Saint Mary's on Jan. 9, 2014 when they downed the Gaels, 57-55, when Jared Brownridge hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left. That snapped Saint Mary's six-game home winning streak in the series.
By The Numbers…
2...Jared Brownridge (1,641) needs two more points to move from 10th to ninth on the school's career list. Londale Theus (1,643/1978-80) is currently ninth.
3...Jared Brownridge is third in the WCC in minutes played (35.7 pg).
5...Jared Brownridge is one of only five players in the NCAA to rank in the top 50 in both made free throws (t-50th at 135) and 3-pointers (t-21st at 82) this year. Josh Adams of Wyoming (6th in FTs/t-24th in 3FGs), Stefan Moody of Ole Miss (9th in FTs/t-33rd in 3FGs), Elijah Brown of New Mexico (10th in FTs/t-44th in 3FGs) and Frank Eaves of Appalachian St. (t-38th in FTs/t-35th in 3FGs) are the others.
6...KJ Feagin is sixth in the WCC in free-throw percentage (80.6).
8...The Broncos have used eight different starting lineups this season. They had used the same one for 12 games until adjusting vs. LMU (Feb. 18).
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