Feb 6, 2004
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Kyle Bailey scored 19 of his season and game-high 23 points in the second half Thursday to lead Santa Clara past San Diego 74-69 in a West Coast Conference game at the Leavey Center.
The win marked the first for Santa Clara over the Toreros in the brief, four-year history of the Leavey Center. Over the last three seasons, neither team has been able to win at each other's home court... until tonight.
The Broncos took a school-record 35 three-point shots (making 13, equaling a season-high), five more than the previous mark set Feb. 10, 2001 against Pepperdine.
San Diego led 62-58 with 5:24 remaining, but Bailey made two foul shots at 4:43 and a basket at 4:04 to tie the game at 62. Later, his three-point shot gave the Broncos a 68-64 lead with 2:28 left.
Doron Perkins, who scored all 10 of his points in the second half, made a three-point play with 38 seconds left and both ends of a one-and-one situation at 0:20 to give Santa Clara a 73-66 lead that San Diego could not overcome.
Ethan Rohde scored 15 points for Santa Clara, while Perkins and Travis Niesen had 10 apiece. Off the bench, Bailey also recorded a season-high four of Santa Clara's season-high 14 steals.
The four steals gives the Fairbanks, Alaska 102 in his career, which is just two shy of Lloyd Pierce and Mitch Burley who are tied for 10th in the Bronco record books. On the offensive end, Bailey's four three-point field goal moved him into fourth on the Santa Clara career list with 139, passing Nathan Fast and Burley.
Nick Lewis led San Diego with 18 points and had eight rebounds. Avi Fogel and Brett Melton each scored 14 points for the Toreros. Brice Vounang scored 12 points and had a game-high nine rebounds.
Santa Clara is 13-10 overall and 5-3 in WCC play for second place behind leader Gonzaga. San Diego, which has lost 11 straight games, is 3-19 for the season and 0-7 in conference action.
Santa Clara took 17 more shots than San Diego and had just 10 turnovers to San Diegos 18. But the Broncos negated those advantages by making just 38.5 percent of their shots, while the Toreros sank 54.2 percent of theirs.
The two teams, which serve as travel partners in the WCC's scheduling system, will meet again on Saturday at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised in the San Diego area on Cox Communications Channel 4.
The game will also be broadcast in the Bay Area on KSFB-AM (1220) and live audio and stats coverage will be available via the Internet at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com.
