WCC Basketball Tournament Central
Video (courtesy WCC): Game Highlights | Postgame Press Conference
LAS VEGAS – The BYU guard combination of Kyle Collinsworth, Chase Fischer and Nick Emery wasn't nearly as potent as in the first two meetings this year with Santa Clara men's basketball, but that group provided just enough scoring punch to lead the Cougars into the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals.
Freshman Nick Emery scored a team-high 15 points and seniors Chase Fischer (14) and Kyle Collinsworth (13) combined to tally 27, helping third-seed BYU escape with a 72-60 victory over No. 6 seed Santa Clara in Saturday afternoon's opening quarterfinal game in Orleans Arena.
Jared Brownridge had a game-high 30 points, but he was the only player in double figures for the Broncos (11-20) who lost to the Cougars for the second-straight year in the WCC Tournament. Brownridge's point total tied the school record for a WCC Tournament game (also Kyle Bailey vs. San Francisco, March 6, 2004).
BYU (23-9) edged Santa Clara 78-76 in last year's quarterfinals and once again the Broncos were within striking distance down the stretch.
After Brownridge, who was 9 of 28 from the floor, nailed a 3-pointer, Santa Clara trailed 55-54 with 6:19 left in the game, but the Cougars went on an 8-0 capped by five straight points from Fischer who was 4 of 10 from the field. He hit a 3-pointer and then a layup with 3:12 to go.
During that stretch, the Broncos missed all four from the floor and both free-throw attempts.
KJ Feagin, who was held to nine points, hit a 3-pointer to close the gap to 65-59 with 1:39 on the clock, but the Cougars made 7 of 8 free throws in the final 1:12 to seal their sixth win in the last seven games.
The Cougars went 20-for-31 from the free-throw line in the game, while Santa Clara was 13 of 19.
Collinsworth, the WCC Player of the Year, posted nine rebounds and six assists, but also had six turnovers for the Cougars who placed five players in double figures. Zac Seljaas scored 12 points on 3 of 6 from behind the 3-point line and Kyle Davis added 11.
After averaging 27.0 points on 67 percent shooting from the floor in two regular season BYU wins against the Broncos, Emery was only 4 of 11 from the floor before fouling
"I'm really proud of our guys for fighting back," Santa Clara head coach Kerry Keating said. "We were down 17 and they showed a lot of grit as has been customary for us in the quarterfinal round of this tournament. They showed some determination and really had a chance to win the game."
The Broncos trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, but a late surge cut the deficit into single digits.
Five straight points by Brownridge and a pair of free throws by Kai Healy chopped the lead to 29-23 with 1:07 left.
Santa Clara rode that momentum in the second half, scoring 16 of the first 23 points to cut the lead to 42-41 with 14:27 left in the game. Brownridge went 3 of 5 from the floor to start the final half.
But the Cougars went on a 7-0 run to build the lead to 49-41 with less than 12 minutes left in the game.
As they have done in previous games, the Broncos went with four guards and one forward for stretches.
"We had our opportunities and I thought four guards would be better for us and it really didn't hurt us on the rebounding end," Keating said.
After being outrebounded by a total of 30 in the first two meetings, the Broncos held a 39-37 edge on the glass.
Jarvis Pugh, who returned to the lineup from a knee injury last week, led the Broncos with eight rebounds, one of six players with at least four.
Notes: With his 30 points, Jared Brownridge (1,716) passed Steve Nash (1,689/1992-96) and Marc Trassolini (1,699/2008-13) to move to fifth on the school's all-time scoring list … with two assists, KJ Feagin (117) ended the season third on the school's all-time assist list. He was just two behind second-place Brian Jones (119/1996-97) … Brownridge's 28 field goal attempts were the second-most of his career. He had 29 when he scored a career-high 44 points vs. Arizona in this year's Wooden Legacy (Nov. 26, 2015).
Final Game in Uniform: Werner Nistler, the lone senior on the roster, was in uniform for the final time Saturday. The reserve guard, who joined the team in the summer after two years as a practice player, played in 16 games this season. Head coach Kerry Keating put him in the starting lineup in the final home game vs. Pacific (Feb. 27). "It's been great; so much fun," Nistler said. "I couldn't have asked for anything more than this. Just looking back on it, it's crazy how much basketball has given me, and this could be the last basketball game I suit up for. It was tough, but it's been so much fun."
Broncos in the WCC Tournament: Santa Clara now has a 27-28 all-time record in the West Coast Conference tournament, which began with the 1986-87 season. The Broncos have won two tournament titles, at the conclusion of the 1986-87 and 1992-93 seasons.
The BYU Series: The series began in 1951 with BYU leading, 27-5. The Cougars have won the last 13 meetings, including all 12 since BYU joined the WCC during the 2011-12 season. The Broncos last win in the series was on Dec. 2, 1972 (66-64 in Provo, Utah) though the teams only met once (Dec. 30, 1986 in the Cable Car Classic) in a 38-year span. The teams have met twice in the WCC Tournament. Brandon Clark and Jared Brownridge combined for 52 points, but BYU's Tyler Haws hit a jumper at the free-throw line with 2.5 seconds left to lift the Cougars to a 78-76 victory in last year's quarterfinals.
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