SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Starting guards Frankie Ferrari (19) and Jordan Ratinho (17) combined for 36 points and San Francisco held off a second-half rally from Santa Clara men's basketball to claim a 70-59 win in Saturday's matchup of longtime West Coast Conference rivals.
After trailing by as many as 14 early in the second half, the Broncos (8-16, 5-7) made multiple rallies, but were never able to forge ahead.
They pulled within one point twice in the last 8 minutes, including 58-57 with 5:24 left on layup by KJ Feagin who scored 15, all in the second half.
But Ferrari answered with a 3-point play, which opened a 10-2 run to close the game.
Josip Vrankic connected on a driving layup with 3:45 left to trim the deficit to 63-59, but the Broncos missed their final eight attempts from the floor while the Dons (13-12, 5-7) nailed their last five.
Matt McCarty had 12 points for the Dons who shot 55 percent from the floor, including 65 percent in the second half. They also held a 34-21 edge in rebounding, which led to a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Ferrari (6) and Ratinho (5) also combined for 11 of the team's rebounds.
Feagin had a career-high 10 assists to post his first-career double-double. Henry Caruso had 12 points for the Broncos, but he was the only other player to reach double figures.
The Dons led by 12 midway through the opening half before the Broncos finally made a push. Kai Healy connected on a 3-pointer and Caruso made a layup to cut the deficit to 26-21.
But San Francisco closed the half by scoring nine of the last 11 points and forcing the Broncos into five turnovers in the final six minutes.
Feagin helped jumpstart the offense in the second half by scoring 11 of the team's first 13 points.
Henrik Jadersten came off the bench to provide a spark, scoring all eight of his points in a 3-minute span. His 3-pointer tied the game at 42-all, but Ratinho nailed a 3-pointer and made a layup in less one minute of play.
HIGHLIGHT | Jarvis Pugh puts his hat in the ring for @TheWtv's #TopPlayTuesday with an elite block against San Francisco tonight! FULL HIGHLIGHTS ▶️ https://t.co/H3cNpAC14V #StampedeAhead #SCUBroncos #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/wQdfaIM9Ow
— Santa Clara Hoops (@SantaClaraHoops) February 4, 2018
NOTES
• KJ Feagin, Kai Healy, Henry Caruso, Josip Vrankic and Emmanuel Ndumanya started as a group for the third time this season. Healy made his fourth-straight start. Matt Hauser (foot) and Shaquille Walters (family matter) were unavailable.
• The San Francisco series began in 1908 and the Broncos hold a 116-107 lead, including 56-40 at home. The 223 meetings are the second-most of any Santa Clara opponent (224 vs. Saint Mary's). The Broncos have won three of the last five, including a 65-62 road win on Jan. 18, and a 76-69 victory in the 2017 WCC Tournament, which sent Santa Clara to the league semifinals for the first time since 2011.
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