Dec. 1, 2006
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - Centers Josh Higgins and John Bryant combined to score 31 points to lead Santa Clara to a 71-45 win over Alabama State on Friday in the Price Cutter Classic. The Broncos, who arrived in Springfield, Mo. at 5:30 a.m. this morning after 22 hours of travel, got off to a slow start but shot 76 percent from the field in the second half to pull away from the Hornets.
Bryant and Scott Dougherty got the Broncos started in the first half as they combined for the first 12 points for SCU. Dougherty also had three rebounds and an assist in that early stretch that put Santa Clara up 12-9. The Broncos extended their lead to 21-9 before a 10-0 run by the Hornets cut the lead to two. However, a Danny Pariseau jumper with three minutes left in the half stopped the bleeding and got the Broncos back on track.
After taking a 28-21 halftime lead, Santa Clara (5-2) opened the second half with a 19-10 run to go up 47-31 with 12:24 left.
Alabama State (2-4) cut its deficit to 49-36 with 10:11 left on a 3-pointer by Tahrea Howard. But the Hornets went cold after that, didn't score another field goal for the next 8:02 and trailed 64-42 with 1:45 left.
Santa Clara shot 50 percent from the floor while Alabama State made just 28 percent. The Broncos held their opponent to under 40 percent shooting for the third consecutive game and extended their winning streak to three games in the process.
Santa Clara outrebounded Alabama State 44-31, scoring 28 points in the paint to eight for Alabama State. Dougherty grabbed a career high eight rebounds while Mitch Henke had seven for Santa Clara.
For the second straight week, Higgins set a career high in points with 17. He is now third on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game.
Santa Clara takes on the Missouri State Bears on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 5:05 p.m. PT at Hammons Student Center. Catch the game live on SantaClaraBroncos.com or on 1220 KNTS.
