AUDIO: Sendek Postgame Interview | VIDEO: Sendek Talks Roster, 2017-18 Schedule
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men's basketball tipped off its 2017-18 season with a 120-70 win over University of La Verne on Friday night at Leavey Center.
The Broncos (1-0) used a balance scoring attack with six players registering double digits, led by KJ Feagin with 21. Eleven players got in the scoring column.
Santa Clara shot 62.3 percent from the field and made 24 of 29 free throws while holding the Leopards to 43.1 percent from the field.
Santa Clara started the game with an 8-0 run and never looked back and led 66-44 at the half with 10 players having already scored.
The Bronco bench nearly outscored the Leopards, who were playing their second exhibition game, getting 62 points, led 20 by freshman Shaquille Walters with an efficient 8-for-9 shooting from the field.
Seniors Emmanuel Ndumanya and Henry Caruso had six rebounds each to lead the Broncos. Caruso, a transfer from Princeton, had 14 points.
For the game, 25 of the 43 field goals were assisted with junior Matt Hauser dishing out a team-high nine assists. Hauser had 10 points, missing his fifth-career double-double by one assist.
The Broncos missed the school scoring record by one point. They had 121 against UNLV on Jan. 8, 1970.
Connor Head scored a team-high 14 points for La Verne, which plays in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in NCAA Division III. Head was the only player in the double figures for the Leopards.
HIGHLIGHTS | #SCUBroncos scored inside and outside in Friday's season-opening win over @ULVAthletics. #StampedeAhead #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/CC1AIj1FVy
— Santa Clara Hoops (@SantaClaraHoops) November 11, 2017
FRESH FACES
Five players saw their first action with the Broncos. Caruso, a graduate transfer from Princeton, started and had 14 points. Shaquille Walters led the three true freshmen with 20 points. Matt Turner scored 13 and Josip Vrankic had 10. Julian Roche, a redshirt freshman, was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor in eight minutes.
NOTES
• Matt Hauser, KJ Feagin and Emmanuel Ndumanya, returning starters, were joined in the opening lineup by Henry Caruso and Jarvis Pugh.
• La Verne had 19 players see action in the game
NEXT UP
The Broncos faces Nevada on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Leavey Center.
QUOTABLE
"Well obviously we were a much better team, and we should be. But our guys took care of business and played the right way. Obviously, both last week and this week we put the ball in the basket, we shared the ball, we played with a really great pace. Defensively, I was disappointed in the first half at our ability to contain the drive and guard the 3-point line which is often the case when you play teams like this that have five perimeter players, but that's the way the game is evolving anyway. Our transition defense was also substandard. Our defensive effort in the second half was better, but it was really good for us to be able to go though this experience and get our young guys an opportunity to play their first college basketball game. So that part is good."
Head coach Herb Sendek
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