RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Jaylan Bland and Secean Johnson 20 points apiece on a combined 8-for-14 on 3-pointers to lead hot-shooting UC Riverside to a 77-64 victory against Santa Clara men's basketball Thursday night.

Nate Kratch posted his first-ever double-double with career highs in both points (22) and rebounds (12), but the Highlanders (2-0) used a 12-3 run over 4-minute stretch starting midway through the second half to increase a 2-point advantage.

After Gentrey Thomas hit a layup with 12:32 left to push the lead to 48-37, the Broncos (0-4) cut the deficit to 10 four times the rest of the game, but got no closer.

"Obviously, we're a team searching for itself because of the injuries we had [in the preseason] and the lack of chemistry to develop," head coach Kerry Keating said. "We have young guys out there playing some meaningful minutes. But some of the older guys need to help them out also."

For the third-straight game, true freshman Matt Hauser and KJ Feagin started in the backcourt along with junior Jared Brownridge, but that duo didn't fare as well as Sunday against Milwaukee when they combined for 36 points. Hauser had six points and Feagin only two.

The Highlanders hit 45 percent from the field, including 52 percent from the 3-point line.  Bland, a senior preseason All-Big West Conference guard, was 7-for-15 from the floor, including 6 of 11 on 3-pointers. Johnson, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, had 17 of his points (6-for-9 from the field) in the second half.

While UC Riverside heated up by shooting 52 percent from the floor in the second half, the Broncos cooled off, connecting on 40 percent, including only 2 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc.

"We missed a couple of wide open layups and a multitude of open shots," Keating said. "I know we're a good shooting team, but we need to keep working on our defense and rebound the ball."

Kratch helped keep the Broncos close in the second half by scoring 18 of his points on 7-for-9 from the floor, all around the basket.

"His play was a positive takeaway," Keating said. "He stayed out of foul trouble in the second half and was able to produce off the attention Jared got. It's a definite confidence booster for him, but I know he'd want to get win more than anything else."

Following scoring a combined 13 points during the final two contests, Jared Brownridge scored 18 points on 5 of 10 shooting and added six assists to go with seven rebounds.  He had 14 of the team's 28 first-half points and drew more attention from UC Riverside in the second half when he was only able to get off one shot from the floor.

Santa Clara trailed 18-7 with 13:33 left in the first half after Bland nailed a 3-pointer, but the Broncos reeled off 14 straight points in the next 6 minutes to take a 21-18. Brownridge scored nine in that stretch.

Bland then hit a pair of key 3-pointers in the first half. One at 5:04 snapped a 23-all tie and another with 6 seconds left extended the lead to 33-28 at the half.

The Broncos are off until Monday when they play at UC Irvine.

Notes: Santa Clara and UC Riverside met for the second time. Santa Clara downed UC Riverside, 63-61, in the opening round of the Cable Car Classic on Dec. 28, 2005 … the Highlanders played without Taylor Johns, who was suspended for a violation of team rules. He is one of two preseason All-Big West Conference choices for UC Riverside, along with Jaylen Bland.