WATCH | Highlights and Postgame Interviews with Kratch, Keating

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Nate Kratch scored a career-high 29 points and added 12 rebounds helping Santa Clara men's basketball hold on for a thrilling 78-75 victory over San Jose State Saturday evening.

Kratch, who nailed all eight of his field goals attempts in the second half and recorded his second-straight double-double, hit the Broncos (2-7) last three buckets, including the go-ahead basket with less than a minute to go in the game.

After Frank Rogers, who scored a team-high 13 points, hit a 3-pointer from left wing to tie it at 74-all with 1:07 on the clock, Kratch answered on the ensuing possession with a layup off a feed from Jared Brownridge, the team's leading scorer who was held to four points.

San Jose State's Ryan Welage then missed a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left and fouled Kai Healy who hit both free throws for a 78-74 Santa Clara lead.

But freshman guard KJ Feagin, who scored 16 points and matched a career high with five assists, fouled the Spartans' Princeton Onwas on a 3-point attempt with 7.7 seconds left. He missed the first free throw, hit the second and then Rogers got the rebound on his second miss.

Rogers fed Onwas on the right wing for a 3-point attempt with 3 seconds left that was off the mark. Matt Hubbard rebounded the ball for the Broncos who ran out the clock for their second win in a row.

"I just like where our guys are at, just trusting the process right now and not letting the start get them down," head coach Kerry Keating said of the team dropping its first seven games. "They've really done a great job of just kind of fighting through a little bit and staying together even though we don't have it quite all together. We have it together enough to be 1-0 today."

The Broncos, who hit 51 percent from the field, including 60 percent in the second half, trailed for just 30 seconds in the game, but the Spartans (4-4), who had their three-game winning streak snapped, fought back twice from double-digit second half deficits.

After the Broncos pushed the lead to 49-37, the Spartans reeled off 10 straight to cut the deficit to two with 15:57 left in the game.

Kratch, who scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds in Sunday's win vs. Boston College, stopped the bleeding with a jump hook on the left block on the next possession and then hit another field goal in the lane for a 55-49 lead with 14:14 to go.

Healy's layup in transition less than four minutes later made it a 12-point cushion, but San Jose State hit back-to-back jumpers, including Rogers 3-pointer from the left wing, to cut the deficit to 66-60 with 6:24 left in the game.

A 3-pointer by Welage made it 70-69 with 2:41 left, but Kratch began his string of three straight field goals in a stretch of 1:33.

"He's really done a good job of understanding what the team needs," Keating said. "No one's worked harder in his career than Nate."

With San Jose State concentrating its defense Brownridge, who came into the game averaging 18.6 points, Kratch found space in the paint to operate and was 13-for-15 from the floor in the game.

"That helps a lot, helping out Jared because teams are going to double team him, always focus on him," Kratch said. "That helps us out as post players because they are going to hedge hard on his ball screens which gets us open and Jared's great with passing and hitting the open guy."

Brownridge, who was 2-for-8 from the floor, though none from behind the 3-point line, still contributed four rebounds and three assists, but did not attempt a free throw. He fed Emmanuel Ndumanya for a dunk to give the Broncos a 19-12 lead with 12:12 left in the first half.

"I don't know the last time Jared didn't make a three, didn't shoot a three or shoot a free throw," Keating said. "A lot of the defense was set up to not have him do that and to there credit, they did a good job but to our guy's credit, they didn't let that stop them from executing."

The Broncos pushed the lead to nine before a dunk by Rogers cut the deficit to 27-26 with 6:12 on the clock, but the Spartans hit only one field goal in the next four minutes and trailed 42-35 at the half.

Santa Clara is off until Saturday when it plays host to Pacific Union.

Notes: Santa Clara and San Jose met for the 108th time. The Broncos lead the all-time series, 79-29, with victories in the last six games ... The Broncos' 42 points were the most in the first half in any game this season and tied for the most in any half (also 42 in second half vs. Santa Clara, Nov. 23) ... Kratch posted his third double-double of the season. He had 22 points and 12 rebounds vs. UC Riverside (Nov. 19), as well as 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. Boston College (Nov. 29) ... Healy, who had a career-high 14 points vs. Boston College, has averaged 6.7 rebounds over the last three games ... Kratch has made 24 of his last 29 field attempts (82.8 percent), covering the last three games.

Injury Report: The Broncos are without four players. Sophomore guard Evan Wardlow is the newest addition to the injury list. He is out of action for approximately two months after being diagnosed earlier this week with a broken right wrist. Sophomore forward Jarvis Pugh has missed the last three games with a knee injury and is out at least two more weeks. Junior guard Brendyn Taylor (concussion) has missed the last five games and freshman forward Tony Lewis has not played this season with a leg injury.