Feb. 12, 2007
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Scott Dougherty scored 23 points to help Santa Clara beat Gonzaga 84-73 on Monday night and end the nation's longest home winning streak at 50 games.
Gonzaga played its second game without star forward Josh Heytvelt, who was arrested last weekend for investigation of drug possession and suspended from the team.
Santa Clara (19-7, 9-2 West Coast Conference) broke a tie with Gonzaga for first place in the WCC and broke a 13-game losing streak to the Zags. The Broncos need one more win or a loss by San Francisco to clinch one of the top two seeds in the WCC Tournament. A No. 1 or No. 2 seed would give SCU a bye to the semifinals of the conference tournament, which takes place from March 2-5 in Portland, Ore.
It was the first loss for Gonzaga (18-9, 8-3 WCC) in 39 outings in the 3-year-old McCarthey Athletic Center. The Zags had also won their final 12 games in the old Martin Centre.
Santa Clara shot out to a 13-0 lead Monday night and never looked back. The Broncos forced the Zags into 38 percent shooting from the floor and 30 percent from beyond the arc. Santa Clara, on the other hand, shot 53 percent from the field and made 25-of-29 at the line. SCU did not trail in the entire game.
Gonzaga's last home loss was Feb. 19, 2003, versus Portland.
The Broncos broke out to an early lead in the game behind the hot shooting of Dougherty and Joey Kaempf, who each hit three 3-pointers in the first half as SCU got out to a 42-29 lead at the break. The lead grew to 19 points midway through the second half as SCU went up 60-41.However, the Zags came back to cut the deficit to six points before senior and Spokane native Danny Pariseau helped put the game away with a lay-up, followed by a long three-pointer. His three put SCU back up by nine points. He then found Dougherty for another 3-pointer that gave the Broncos a 10-point edge with just over two minutes remaining.
Pariseau finished the game with 14 points and six assists, while backcourt mate Brody Angley scored a season high 18 points and dished out four assists.
Santa Clara plays its final home game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 17 against the San Diego Toreros at 7:00 p.m. PT at the Leavey Center. Saturday is Senior Night as the Broncos will honor Dougherty, Pariseau, Sean Denison, Joey Kaempf, Brandon Rohe and Tristan Parham for their contributions to Santa Clara basketball.
Saturday night also marks the final home game for head coach Dick Davey, who announced on Feb. 1 that he is retiring after the season.
