Santa Clara Tickets | Game Notes | AUDIO: Chatting with Coach Sendek on KDOW AM-1220 (Jan. 17, 2018)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After winning two in a row, Santa Clara men's basketball dropped both games last week at home. The Broncos (6-12, 3-3) look to get back on the winning track Thursday with a road matchup against rival San Francisco. Tipoff between the longtime West Coast Conference rivals is set for 8 p.m from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

On Saturday, BYU jumped out to an early lead and pulled away in the second half for an 84-50 win against Santa Clara. Two days earlier, Saint Mary's downed the Broncos, 81-57. The Dons (10-9, 2-4) have lost three of their last four, including a 75-65 home defeat at the hands of Gonzaga on Saturday.

• Yoeli Childs (22 points and 13 rebounds) and Elijah Bryant (14 points and 12 rebounds) each produced double-doubles and TJ Haws scored 14 to lead BYU past the Broncos. Freshman forward Josip Vrankic posted a career-high 20 points, but he was the only player in double figures for the Broncos who shot just 34 percent for the game, including 7 of 27 in the second half.
• Jock Landale, the WCC preseason player of the year, posted a game-high tying 19 points and 10 rebounds, Calvin Hermanson scored 14 and Emmett Naar directed the offense with 11 assists for the Gaels in Thursday's win. Junior guard KJ Feagin also tallied 19 points and senior guard/forward Henry Caruso added 11 for the Broncos who were held to 40 percent shooting from the floor.
• Feagin leads the team and ranks fifth in the WCC in scoring (17.3 ppg). Caruso is second on the team in scoring (12.1 ppg) and first with 6.6 rebounds per game, No. 7 in the league. Vrankic (11.7 ppg) and junior guard Matt Hauser (10.5) are also scoring in double figures. Vrankic ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.0 pg) while Hauser is fourth in the WCC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3-to-1), averaging 3.9 assists pg, No. 8 in the league. Hauser (2.4) and Feagin (2.3) rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in the WCC in 3-pointers per game.
• Caruso is one of only two players in the WCC to rank in the top 20 in scoring (20th), and top 10 in both rebounding and steals (tied for sixth - 1.4 pg). Guard Elijah Bryant of BYU is third in scoring (17.7 ppg), eighth in rebounding (6.3 pg) and 10th in steals (1.3 pg).

 

YEAR TWO UNDER SENDEK
The Broncos are in their 111th year of existence, including second under Herb Sendek, who has been successful in each of his three previous head-coaching stops. With a resume that includes 18 postseason appearances and three conference coach of the year awards, Sendek, was one of the three youngest coaches with 400 or more career victories He is in his 24th season as a collegiate head coach with stops at Arizona State, North Carolina State and Miami (Ohio).

QUICK HITS
• The Broncos have generally held on to the ball, registering just 11.5 turnovers per game and possessing a +2.5 turnover margin pg (first in the WCC).
• Santa Clara and San Francisco are the two lowest scoring teams in the WCC, but the Dons are one of the better defensive teams. USF is ninth in scoring (69.1 ppg) and the Broncos are 10th (68.6). The Dons rank third in the league in defensive field-goal percentage (42.7).
• Santa Clara averages 8.7 3-pointers per game (third in WCC) and San Francisco 8.5 pg (fourth). The Dons have taken the second-most 3-pointers (496) in the WCC.
• Freshman guard Souley Boum leads USF in scoring (14.6 ppg) and ranks fourth in the WCC in 3-point FG percentage (44.8). The Dons have nine players averaging between 14 and 28 minutes per game.

THE SAN FRANCISCO SERIES
The series began in 1908 and the Broncos hold a 114-107 lead. The 221 meetings are the second-most of any Santa Clara opponent (224 vs. Saint Mary's). The Dons have captured six of the last nine games between the teams, though the Broncos won two of three last season, including a 76-69 victory in the WCC Tournament, which sent Santa Clara to the league semifinals for the first time since 2011.

TRENDS
In the last six games, the Broncos have posted their four fewest foul totals of the year, including a season-low 10 vs. Portland (Jan. 6) ... KJ Feagin has reached double figures in 16 of the team's 18 games (nine points vs. Gonzaga, Dec. 30; nine points vs. BYU, Jan. 13) ... Feagin has six of the team's 11 20-point scoring games this season ... during the last four games, Josip Vrankic is averaging 15.0 points on 48.0 percent shooting from the floor ... Feagin has connected on his last 21 of his last 22 free-throw attempts ... Hauser has 16 assists and six turnovers in the last four games ... a career 52 percent free-throw shooter, Emmanuel Ndumanya has made 14 of his last 15 from the line ... after connecting 61 of 78 (78.2) from the free-throw line in the previous five outings, including a season high 88.2 percent (15 of 17) against Pepperdine (Dec. 28), the Broncos went 4-for-11 against BYU (Jan. 13).

BRONCO BASH - GONZAGA PREGAME EVENT
The inaugural Bronco Bash is set for Saturday at the Locatelli Event Center before Santa Clara's matchup with Gonzaga. From 2 to 4 p.m., fans can enjoy camaraderie with fellow Bronco supporters, the Santa Clara pep band and dance team ahead of one of the biggest games of the year. The 21-and-over event, priced at $45, includes selections from several local craft breweries and appetizers, as well as an auction. The first 50 SCU Young Alumni (graduation years between 2008–17) to sign up will receive entrance to the Bronco Bash AND a ticket to the game, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Leavey Center. Click here to register.

RADIO/LIVE STREAM
Anthony Passarelli (play-by-play) and John Stege (analyst) will call the action during the season on radio and through TheW.tv at home. All Broncos home games and West Coast Conference contests (not on an ESPN platform) will also be streamed through TheW.tv (local blackout restrictions apply for games broadcast over the air). There will be 22 games on KDOW AM-1220 or KTRB-AM 860 this season. Thursday's game at San Francisco can be heard on KDOW AM-1220. View the 2017-18 schedule for broadcast outlets.

TICKETS
Single-game tickets are available for contests at Leavey Center. The Broncos play 17 regular-season home games, including nine West Coast Conference tilts. Purchase options are available online or by contacting the Santa Clara ticket office weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu.

FAN EXPERIENCE PACKAGES
Group-ticket options and Fan Experience Packages are available through the Santa Clara ticket office, which is open weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Contact Jesse Moreno, one of our sales and service consultants, at (408) 554-4628 or jmoreno@scu.edu for further details.

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