SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Miles Reynolds posted a career-high tying 23 points and Lafayette Dorsey came off the bench to score 14 for Pacific which controlled the interior in posting a 63-45 win over Santa Clara men's basketball on Thursday.
KJ Feagin scored 21 points and Henry Caruso added 10 for the Broncos (8-15, 5-6) who shot only 32 percent from the floor and were out-rebounded 40-26 in game between teams tied for fifth in the league standings.
Pacific's Namdi Okonkwo demonstrated why he is second the West Coast Conference in blocks (2.5 per game), swatting away five Santa Clara shots while scoring six and posting eight rebounds.
The Tigers (11-13, 6-5), who led for all but 3:24 of the game to snap a three-game skid, pulled away in the final 3 minutes.
During the last 6 minutes, Santa Clara twice closed with 10 on baskets by Emmanuel Ndumanya.
But Pacific, which scored 38 points in the paint, hit its final three from the floor and all four free throws, while the Broncos missed their final six attempts from the field. The Tigers made 52 percent of their field goal attempts and were 9-for-10 from the line in the second half.
The end only punctuated Santa Clara's inability to score in the game. Only Feagin and Caruso entered the scoring column through the first 30 minutes of the contest.
Feagin went 8-for-15 from the floor (5 of 8 on 3-pointers) and rest of the team was 9 of 28.
The Broncos were missing starting guard Matt Hauser (foot) for a second-straight game.
Pacific scored 20 of its 29 first half points in the paint, most of that coming on drives to the basket by Reynolds who had 14, including 4-for-6 from the free throw line.
Feagin was the only reliable scorer for the Broncos who suffered seven turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. He connected on 6 of 9 field goals for 16 points. The rest of the team was only 2 of 16 from the floor.
NOTES
• KJ Feagin, Kai Healy, Henry Caruso, Josip Vrankic and Emmanuel Ndumanya started as a group for the second time this season. Healy made his third-straight start. In addition to Matt Hauser's absence, Shaquille Walters was unavailable due to a family matter.
• The Broncos have a 95-44 edge in a series that dates back to 1905. This is the fifth season the Tigers have been a member of the West Coast Conference, with the Broncos leading 6-4 in that span. But the teams have faced each other every season since 1994-95. The 139 games played are the fifth-most among Santa Clara opponents.
• Feagin (21 points) moved from 33rd to 31st on the Santa Clara career scoring list, passing DeWayne Lewis (1,032/1990-94) and Jim Young (1,016/1951-54). Feagin now has 1,034 career points. He was presented with a ball prior to the game to commemorate reaching 1,000 points in Saturday's Pepperdine contest.
• Henrik Jadersten had a career-high four blocks in the game. He came into the matchup with two on the season and has recorded three twice in his career. The Broncos posted a season-best six blocks.
• Vrankic's basket with 10:11 left in the game was the first one scored beside Feagin and Caruso. Feagin had scored 21 and Caruso 10 to that point in the game, which the Tigers were leading 47-31.
HIGHLIGHT | Perimeter. High post. Low post. Throwdown. Check out this nice passing sequence that led to an Emmanuel Ndumanya dunk in tonight's @WCCSports contest against Pacific! FULL HIGHLIGHTS ▶️ https://t.co/todkpJKdXV #StampedeAhead #SCUBroncos #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/rfiXO2jSUc
— Santa Clara Hoops (@SantaClaraHoops) February 2, 2018
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