MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's used its trademark balanced scoring and efficient offense to knock off Santa Clara men's basketball, 75-50, Thursday night in West Coast Conference action.
Emmett Naar scored a game-high 24 points and dished out eight assists, Evan Fitzner scored 13 points and Dane Pineau added 10 for the Gaels (23-4, 14-3) who turned the ball over just three times in winning their fourth-straight game.
Jared Brownridge scored a team-high 16 points, on only 5 of 13 shooting from the floor, for the Broncos (10-19, 6-11), who shot just 34 percent from the floor and committed 12 turnovers.
Saint Mary's, the top shooting team in the nation, hit 50 percent from the floor, though was only 7-for-23 from behind the 3-point line.
"We didn't play well enough," Santa Clara head coach Kerry Keating said. "We didn't play tough enough. We talked about all week about being physical on the ball screens and in the paint."
The Gaels got a number of inside baskets especially in the first half when they scored 22 of their 33 points in the paint. They took control of the game at the end of the first half and built an 18-point lead just 2 minutes into the second half.
Naar was again the catalyst, scoring Saint Mary's first six points of the half on a 3-point play and a 3-pointer.
Kai Healy, who scored 13 points for the Broncos on 4-for-8 shooting, cut the deficit to 41-26 with 17:17 left, but Pineau added a pair of layups and Santa Clara never got closer than 16 the rest of the game.
Naar (10 of 17), Pineau (5 of 9) and Fitzner (5 of 7) combined to hit 60 percent from the floor.
Joe Rahon picked up his fourth foul with 16 minutes left in the game, but still managed to play 30 minutes, though was just 1-for-6.
"They were able to overcome Rahon being in foul trouble," Keating said.
The Gaels, who had 19 assists on 29 field goals, started the game hot from the field and helped fuel their offense with Santa Clara turnovers.
Naar had a hand in 11 of the team's 14 first-half field goals, connecting on 7 of 11 from the floor and dishing out four assists. He also had six of the team's 18 rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
Saint Mary's led 15-5 less than 7 minutes into the game before the Broncos, who were outscored 12-0 off nine first-half turnovers, made a 7-0 run.
Brownridge's layup with 4:39 left cut the deficit to 22-16, but the Gaels scored eight of the next 10 points, including a pair of baskets by Naar.
"We cut it down to [six] and didn't convert on both ends of the floor to keep ourselves within striking distance," Keating said.
Healy was 3-for-4 from the behind the 3-point arc, but the rest of the team was only 5 of 18. The Broncos only went to the free-throw line 10 times, but did convert eight of them.
Santa Clara has one more game before the WCC Tournament, which starts March 3 in Las Vegas. The Broncos face Pacific at home Saturday on senior night. Guard Werner Nistler will be recognized prior to the game.
Notes: With 16 points, Jared Brownridge (1,657) moved from 10th to ninth on the school's career list, passing Londale Theus (1,643/1978-80) … Matt Hubbard missed tonight's game due to concussion protocol. The sophomore had started the last two games and averaged 8.7 points in the last seven contests. He played in the first 28 games this season. Nate Kratch replaced him in the starting lineup … Jarvis Pugh (knee) played in his first game since Dec. 23 vs. Saint Mary's. He has missed 21 of the last 22 games with the same ailment. Pugh played 14 minutes and scored four points with five rebounds … Kai Healy (13 points) scored in double figures for the sixth time this season and matched his career high with three 3-point field goals … Saint Mary's three turnovers were the fewest by an opponent this season. Portland (Jan. 2), BYU (Jan. 7) and Pepperdine (Jan. 14) each had six.
The Saint Mary's Series: Santa Clara and Saint Mary's are longtime rivals and original West Coast Conference members. The series began in 1910 and the teams will be played for the 221th time, the most common opponent in Santa Clara history. The Broncos lead the series 133-87. The Gaels have won four of the last six meetings. The Broncos last won at Saint Mary's on Jan. 9, 2014 when they downed the Gaels, 57-55, when Jared Brownridge hit a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left. That snapped Saint Mary's six-game home winning streak in the series.
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