Pilots Top Santa Clara in Portland Saturday Night
In a battle for fourth place in the WCC, Portland topped the Broncos 78-68. Santa Clara is 16-13 and 6-6 in the WCC and Portland is 19-9 and 6-6 in the WCC. Santa Clara returns home to host its final two home games of the year: Thurs., Feb. 24 vs. ESPNU at 8:30 pm and then Senior Night on Sat., Feb. 26 at 7 pm.
Santa Clara shot 37.7 percent from the field (23 of 61), including 34.6 percent from beyond the arc (9 of 26). The Broncos collected 31 rebounds, 11 assists, 11 steals and four blocks with 13 turnovers. They shot 59.1 percent from the free throw line (13 of 22). Portland shot 51.1 percent from the field (24 of 47), including 52.9 percent from beyond the arc (9 of 17). The Pilots collected 35 rebounds, 16 assists, four steals and six blocks with 21 turnovers. They shot 87.5 percent from the free throw line (21 of 24).
Santa Clara's current consecutive games with 6+ steals is tied for the longest in the country Division I with the Broncos tied nationally with Houston Baptist for 20 straight games with 6+.
Individually for the Broncos Kevin Foster scored 29 points, including 7 of 16 from beyond the arc. It is the eighth time this season Foster has scored 6+ threes in a game (previous best for a Bronco was three games in a season). With 105 threes pointers made this season, Foster moves to No. 5 on the West Coast Conference single season bests list, passing Terrell Lowery who made 103 in 31 games in 1991. Foster needs two threes to move past Peter McKelvey who made 106 in 1992 in 28 games and sits at No. 4. Ben Dowdell scored 10, adding six rebounds. Evan Roquemore scored 14 with four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Troy Payne had six point and five rebounds, grabbing four steals.
For the Pilots, five players were in double figures, including Jared Stohl (15), Nemanja Mitrovic (15), Luke Sikma (13), Jasonn Hannibal (15) and Tim Douglas (10). They were led in rebounds by Sikma who collected 11 rebounds to complete the double-double before fouling out at 1:26. Douglas added six assists with six turnovers.
After Jasonn Hannibal connected on a free throw, Troy Payne tipped the ball in at 19:21. Hannibal scored the Pilots first basket at 17:25 and Tim Douglas connected on a free throw. Foster answered with a jumper before Douglas hit a three at 16:00.
A Dowdell bucket under the basket was followed by two straight by the Pilots, 11-6 at 14:37. Tanner Riley connected on a three at 12:40 before Dowdell stopped the 10-0 run by UOP with a basket at 11:58.
The Broncos went on a 9-0 run. Foster connected on his first three of the night at 11:03 and then Trasolini stole the ball and went coast-to-coast and landed a two-handed jam to make it 14-13 UOP at 10:46. Foster was fouled by Douglas, his second of the game, and he sank both to give the Broncos a 15-14 lead at 10:01.
The Pilots then went on another run, this one 8-0. Douglas was fouled by Harrison, his second, and he sank both to give the Pilots a one-point lead at 9:41. The Pilots sank back-to-back threes by Mitrovic and Stohl to push their lead to 22-15 at 7:23.
Dowdell sank two free throws and then Roquemore one, but Riley answered with a three, to make it 33-24 at 2:16. Foster hit another three at 1:09, his fourth of the game. The Pilots turned it over and whistled for time at 1:04.
Foster sank his fifth three of the game at buzzer after Sikma stepped out of bounds with 4.2 seconds left. 33-30 Portland at the half.
In the first half Santa Clara shot 31.3 percent from the field (10 of 32), including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc (5 of 15). The Broncos collected 16 rebounds, five assists, nine steals and one block with six turnovers. They shot 71.4 percent from the free throw line (5 of 7). Portland shot 50.0 percent from the field (11 of 22), including 63.6 percent from beyond the arc (7 of 11). The Pilots collected 19 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks with 13 turnovers. They shot 66.7 percent from the free throw line (4 of 6).
Foster had 19 points in the first half (5 of 9 from the three). Dowdell added six with five rebounds. Hannibal had seven for the Pilots with four other UOP players scoring six each.
To start the second half Foster hit his sixth three of the game (19:14), tying it up 33-33. The Pilots scored a two-pointer before Foster was fouled and he sank one at 17:02. Sikma scored a three-point play to put the Pilots up 40-34 at 16:43.
Trasolini answered with a put-back at 16:20. Foster was fouled by Stohl hard when attempting a three. After the media timeout, which Foster entered the huddle holding his right wrist in pain, he sank all three to make it 40-39 at 15:59.
The Pilots went on a 10-0 run in 2 ½ minutes to take a 50-39 lead at 13:31. Timeout Keating. The run included two straight possessions with offensive fouls called on Trasolini in the lane.
After Sikma picked up his third foul at 12:15 Roquemore drained a three at 11:55. Roquemore was fouled when shooting by Eric Waterford and after the media timeout he sank one. Stohl sank two free throws after being fouled by John McArthur to put UOP up 52-43 at 10:49.
Rodgers blocked Foster's three attempt and Foster returned the favor on the other end. After working through the second set of issues with the shot clock in a minute, the Pilots shot went off the backboard into a Bronco arms. Trading possessions, Trasolini was whistled for his third foul and Hannibal sank both to give UOP a 56-43 lead at 8:53.
Foster was whistled for his second foul, on Mitrovic, and he hit both to push the lead to 58-43 at 8:12, including four straight Pilot free throws. Trasolini stopped the bleeding with a bucket at 7:47. Mitrovic scored two more free throws at 7:07.
Portland was on a 14-4 run when Payne sank a bucket to make it 64-59.
The Broncos went on a 9-2 run. Dowdell sank a bucket at 5:02. Payne scored on a put-back at 3:45 and Roquemore scored on a floater at 3:08. Dowdell was fouled and he sank one to make it 66-56 at 2:33. Foster sank his seventh three of the night at 2:13.
Douglas sank a pair of free throws to make it 68-59 at 1:56. Sikma dunked it off a steal to put UOP up 70-59. Michael Santos scored a free throw at 1:26 and Dowdell added on at 1:10. After a five-second call on the Pilots, Roquemore scored off the glass at 1:03 and then after a Pilot bucket, he scored again at :46.5. 74-65 Pilots.