SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Donovan Fields scored a career-high tying 23 points, including the game-winning basket in the final 20 seconds, for Cal Poly, which edged Santa Clara men's basketball, 63-59, on Saturday in a preliminary-round game in the GCI Great Alaska Shootout.
Marcellus Garrick had 12 points and Victor Joseph 10, all in the second half, for the Mustangs (2-2) who were able to overcome 15 turnovers by shooting 47 percent from the floor, including 8-for-16 from beyond the 3-point line.
KJ Feagin scored 19 points and Henry Caruso had a double-double (14 points/career-high 13 rebounds) for the Broncos (1-2) who shot just 38 percent from the floor, including 2 of 9 from behind the 3-point line.
With the game tied at 59-all, Fields, closely guarded by Caruso, hit a 15-foot fall away jumper with 18 seconds left. After a Bronco timeout with 11 seconds remaining, Matt Hauser had a chance to tie the game. He curled around a screen at the top of the key then drove to the basket, but his contested shot rimmed out with eight seconds left. Fields grabbed the rebound and Garrick Marcellus scored on a breakaway dunk.
The matchup was tied 10 times, including three in the final three minutes of action. Caruso tied it on each of those occasions with a layup, jumper and a pair of free throws.
The Broncos came back from a nine-point deficit midway through the second half behind Feagin who scored eight points in a three-minute span to tie it at 55-all.
Fields, who was 7-for-13 from the floor, scored 16 in the second half when the Mustangs connected on 55 percent from the floor.
Hauser had 10 points, four assists and no turnovers, but was just 4 of 12 from the floor.
The Broncos only turned the ball over seven times and held a 17-7 edge in points off turnovers.
They also scored 36 of their points in the paint though missed a number of shots from close range.
The eight participants in the GCI Great Alaska Shootout play one game on campus before heading to Anchorage next week.
HIGHLIGHTS | A collection of the best offensive plays from tonight's contest! #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/5llBib6mk5
— Santa Clara Hoops (@SantaClaraHoops) November 19, 2017
NOTES
• Matt Hauser, KJ Feagin, Emmanuel Ndumanya, Henry Caruso and Jarvis Pugh have started all three games.
• The teams have met eight times and series is now even at 4-all. The Mustangs have won the last two in the series.
• Henry Caruso notched his fourth career double-double, including first as a Bronco. His 13 rebounds were a career high.
NEXT UP
The Broncos travel to Anchorage, Alaska, for a first-round tilt in the Shootout against Idaho on Wednesday. The winner advances to the semifinals to face either CSU Bakersfield or host Alaska-Anchorage on Friday. The loser of those two games meet Thursday in the consolation bracket. Cal Poly, Central Michigan, College of Charleston and Sam Houston State are the remaining participants
QUOTABLE
"I certainly don't want to take anything from Cal Poly but from our standpoint I thought we really struggled to finish around the basket and I'm not just referring to the final play. But time and time again, we were at the rim and we didn't convert. We just didn't put the ball in the basket. We had countless opportunities to cash in on great looks. On the flip side of that it seemed like they made one challenged shot after another. And then we didn't convert at the free thrown line."
Head coach Herb Sendek
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
• Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat
• Men's Basketball: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Snapchat
