Basketball to Host UC Santa Barbara on Saturday
Santa Clara, 4-3, hosts UC Santa Barbara, 3-3, on Sat., Dec. 4 at 7 pm before the Broncos take a week off for final exams. The Broncos played seven games in 15 days before having the last week off. Santa Clara, 79-68 winners over the Gauchos on the road last year, was led by Kevin Foster's 18 points before he broke his foot in the final minutes of the victory at the Thunderdome (see boxscore on page 3). After SCU's win, UCSB went on and won the Big West Conference Tournament and advanced to the 2010 NCAA Tournament before falling 68-51 to Ohio State to finish 20-10.
SCU leads the all-time series with the Gauchos 15-9; and the Broncos are looking for their fifth-straight win over the Gauchos. Prior to last year's win, Santa Clara won the Cable Car Classic in 2001 when it defeated the Gauchos 61-59 on Dec. 29, 2001. Kyle Bailey was named the MVP.
Listen Up
The UC Santa Barbara game will be broadcasted via the Bronco Radio Network on both KDOW 1220 AM and Broncos All-Access on the web at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com with the broadcast beginning at 6:45 pm. Anthony Passarelli is in his fourth season as the Broncos' play-by-play announcer. Coach Kerry Keating can be heard on KDOW 1220 AM on Sunday evenings from 9:10-9:20 pm in his radio spotlight on The Sports Ramble, hosted by Chetan Chaudhari. If you are out of the listening area, KDOW is streamed online live at www.1220kdow.com.
Last Time Out
Santa Clara posted a 2-2 record as part of the IBN Sports Las Vegas Invitational last week. After defeating Bethune-Cookman (75-61) and Northern Colorado (87-84) at home, Santa Clara fell 82-59 to Arizona and 78-72 to Arizona. Marc Trasolini scored 19 points in both losses in the Orleans Arena.
James Nunnally scored a career-high 29 points, including 13 during a decisive 18-0 second half run, and UC Santa Barbara shot 61.7% from the field en route to a 77-67 win over visiting Loyola Marymount on Dec. 1.
What's up
Santa Clara is 1-0 vs. the Big Sky Conference this season with an 87-84 victory over Northern Colorado on Nov. 23. UCSB is 1-1 vs. the WCC this season after falling 75-63 at Portland on Nov. 27, it defeated LMU 77-67 on Dec. 1.
Santa Clara is 4-0 at home this season. The Broncos are scoring 73.4 ppg while giving up 76.1 ppg. They are rebounding 32.1 to their opponents 30.1. UCSB is averaging 67.3 ppg while giving up 64.2 ppg. They are shooting 45.7 percent from the field and rebounding 29.8 boards. USCB is 1-3 when not playing in the Thunderdome this season.
Changing Up the Conferences
Santa Clara is playing three straight games against California teams, each from a different conference. After Santa Barbara (Big Sky, Dec. 4), Santa Clara will travel to cross-town rival San Jose State (Western Athletic) on Dec. for a 7 p.m. match-up. They will finish off the trio with a trip to Stockton to take on Pacific (Big West) on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.
Santa Clara will then host a team from Texas, Houston Baptist (Great West) on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. before hosting Washington State (Pac-10) on Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. Before breaking for a few days for the holidays, the Broncos will travel to Southern California to play CSU-Northridge (Big West) on Dec. 22 at 7 p.m.
Watching You
Kevin Foster is averaging a team-leading 16.7 ppg, 4.0 apg and 1.1 spg. Marc Trasolini is averaging 14.0 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Foster had a career-high six threes in SCU's win over B-C, scoring 19+ in four of the first five games this year after being redshirted last season when he broke his foot in the early going. Trasolini collected his fifth career double-double vs. CSU Bakersfield and had a season-high three blocks in the Rice win. Evan Roquemore is pouring in 9.9 ppg off the bench and is a team-best 79.5 percent from the charity stripe (31 of 39). Ben Dowdell averages 7.4 ppg and 4.6 rpg. Robert Smith is second on the team with 2.9 apg.
Side Notes
** Marc Trasolini scored 19 points in back-to-back games vs. Arizona and Ohio in Las Vegas last weekend. Trasolini has scored 15+ points in 17 times in his career. He has scored double digits in five of Santa Clara's seven games this season after leading the team in ppg, rpg and bpg last season.
** Marc Trasolini hasn't blocked a shot in three games heading into the UCSB game. It is the first time since his freshman year he has gone three plus games without a block. He went five games spanning the end of his freshman year (four games: Feb. 21, - March 8) to the second game of his sophomore year (Nov. 16, 2009) when he collected three blocks.
** Evan Roquemore tied the Bronco freshman record when he hit made 10 free throws vs. UNC on Nov. 23. He was a perfect 10 of 10. Then-Bronco freshman Jordan Legge made 10 free throws for the Broncos on Nov. 27, 2001 in Santa Clara's 65-61 win vs. San Jose State.
** SCU and UNC combined for 171 points, but zero blocks on Nov. 23. The last time that happened: in Gonzaga's 80-64 win over the Broncos in Spokane on Feb. 28, 2004.
** Santa Clara has won three close games this year by five points or less. Since 2007-08, Santa Clara has won 18 close games.
** In its game with B-C, the bench out-rebounded the starters. Against UNC, led by a pair of Broncos collecting 18 points each, the bench outscored the starters. The starters, paced by Kevin Foster's 19 points and tying a career-high with seven assists, scored 42 points. The bench, led by Cowels and Roquemore, scored 45.
** Robert Smith and Foster both collected six assists and the Broncos had 23 assists in Santa Clara's 75-61 win over Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 21. It was the most assists for the Broncos since they collected 24 assists in an 83-80 win vs. Belmont on Dec. 29, 2008. The most under Keating?: Santa Clara had 29 assists vs. Pepperdine in the Broncos' 101-86 victory on Jan. 21, 2008.
** The Bronco bench collected 16 rebounds vs. Bethune-Cookman while the starters pulled down 13. That's the first time that happened this year.
Three-Pointers
After breaking Steve Nash's single season record for three-pointers made as a freshman in 2008-09 with 85, it's no surprise Kevin Foster is already climbing up the three point career lists as well. Foster also owns the record for three-pointers attempted as well with 232 shot his freshman season.
Foster is No. 6 with 362 three-pointers attempted. His next milestone is down the road: he needs 129 attempts to pass No. 5 Ethan Rohde at 490 (2002-05). Foster has made 129 career threes and is No. 8 on the career list. He needs eight three-pointers to move to No. 7 and pass Nathan Fast (136, 1996-00).
The career record for three pointers made is Steve Nash's 263 from 1992-96. The career record for three-pointers attempted is 679 by Kyle Bailey from 2001-05. Foster will have a leg up on the competition, career-wise, as his six games last season will count towards his career totals as well.
Foster has quite a ways to go to reach Kurt Rambis' school record 1,736 points scored (1976-80). But, if he does collect the record, he can thank Southern California's big men for two points scored. The Trojans were whistled for a technical foul in pre-game warm-ups when a player dunked while the officials were out on the floor (against NCAA rules). Foster then shot and made two free throws prior to the start of the game.