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VANCOUVER, B.C. – Gabe Kalscheur scored a game-high 25 points and Jordan Murphy had 15 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota, which used a late run to pull away for 80-66 win over Santa Clara men's basketball at the Vancouver Showcase on Tuesday.
The Gophers dominated in rebounding (49-33), which led to a 17-1 edge in second-chance points and helped overcome shooting only 36 percent from the floor.
The Broncos (0-4), who were whistled for 31 fouls, had positive moments in both games at the inaugural event, but there were stretches of offensive and defensive lapses.
"Our team played well in a lot of ways," head coach Herb Sendek said. "We continue to get better."
Tahj Eaddy scored a season-high 20 and Keshawn Justice posted 12 points off the bench for Santa Clara, which only took nine free throws in the game, compared to 37 for the Gophers (4-0).
There were seven lead changes in the opening 20 minutes and the Broncos erased an eight-point deficit to pull even at 46-all on a Justice 3-pointer.
But Minnesota scored the next seven with five coming at the free-throw line.
The Broncos closed within 62-57 with 4:35 left, but the Gophers scored the next 12. Santa Clara missed all three shots and turned it over twice in that 2-minute stretch.
After Trey Wertz picked up his fifth foul, head coach Herb Sendek was assessed three technical fouls though the final was one was credited to the bench.
"I didn't know it was possible," Sendek said. "I thought the rule was two."
Wertz, Josip Vrankic and Guglielmo Caruso and all had four fouls with 10:42 left in the game.
Santa Clara shot a season-best 45 percent from the floor in Sunday's 82-68 loss to Washington in the opening game of the tournament, its first playing without senior guard KJ Feagin who is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his left hand.
The Broncos shot 44 percent from the floor against Minnesota, including their best effort of the season from behind the 3-point line, connecting on 11 of 23. Eaddy was 4-for-8.
Kalscheur, who was 7 of 12 from beyond the 3-point line, keyed a late first-half surge, nailing four 3-pointers during a 14-3 run that erased a seven-point deficit. The freshman guard scored 15 of the team's first 30 points of the game.
The rest of the Gophers went only 2 of 11 on 3-point attempts in the game.
Vrankic, one of three Broncos to get disqualified, had 11 points before fouling out.
Dupree McBrayer had 15 points for the Gophers.
NOTES
• Santa Clara and Minnesota played for the fourth time and the Gophers have won each meeting.
• When Herb Sendek picked up his technical fouls with 3:14 left in the game and was ejected, the Broncos trailed 68-57. The Gophers then hit 3 of 6 from the line.
NEXT UP
• The Broncos play their next two games on the road, though both in the Bay Area. They face crosstown rival San Jose on Saturday and Cal on Monday.
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