VIDEO: Vrankic, Williams on Early-Season Success/Road Tests in WCC Play

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Riding a six-game winning streak, Santa Clara men's basketball continues West Coast Conference play on Thursday with a road matchup against San Francisco.

Tipoff between the Broncos and Dons is set for 8 p.m. from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

Santa Clara (14-2, 1-0) is coming off league-opening 80-63 victory over San Diego on Saturday as Keshawn Justice had his second-straight game with a career-high in points (26), Josip Vrankic scored 13 and Trey Wertz tallied 12 points.

The Dons (11-6, 0-2) have dropped three in a row, including Saturday's 76-65 loss at Portland. Santa Clara is 0-2 on the road this season.

QUICK HITS...
• The Broncos are beginning a season-long stretch of three straight on the road.
• Seven players are averaging at least 8.0 points, including three in double digits led by Trey Wertz (12.4 ppg), Guglielmo Caruso (11.6), and DJ Mitchell (10.1). Josip Vrankic is averaging 9.8 points, Keshawn Justice 9.2, Jalen Williams 8.4 and Tahj Eaddy 8.2. Caruso is the top rebounder at 5.5 per game. Mitchell and Vrankic are tied for second at 5.1. Wertz is averaging a team-high 4.1 assists per game and Vrankic is second at 3.8.
• Santa Clara's record is its best through 16 games since starting a school-record 21-0 in 1968-69 on the way to a 27-2 mark and a trip to the NCAAs. The Broncos have won at least 14 of 16 to begin a season for only fourth time in school history. They were 14-2 in 1930-31 and 15-1 in 1946-47.
• Santa Clara has won its last 16 home games, dating to last season. That streak is the third longest in school history and ranks first all-time during the Toso Pavilion/Leavey Center era (since 1975-76). Santa Clara has not lost at home since a 66-55 defeat to Saint Mary's (Feb. 14, 2019).

YEAR FOUR UNDER SENDEK...
The Broncos are heading into the their 113th year, including fourth 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. Having led the Broncos to winning records in two of his three seasons, he is in his 26th season as a collegiate head coach with stops at Arizona State, North Carolina State and Miami (Ohio).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES...
• Injuries are starting to take a toll and Guglielmo Caruso is the newest addition with a lower right leg injury that will keep him out indefinitely. He was injured against Alcorn State (Dec. 29). Ezekiel Richards (ankle), who played in seven games as a reserve, and Miguel Tomley (knee), who has not seen action, have been ruled out for the season.
• Over the last three games, Trey Wertz is averaging 19.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He has connected on 78.6 percent (22 of 28) from the floor, including 76.5 percent (13-for-17) behind the 3-point line in that span.
• Keshawn Justice is averaging 18.8 points on 60.0 percent shooting (24-for-40) from the floor, including 54.5 percent (12 of 22) from behind the 3-point line, over the last four games.
• Jalen Williams had connected on 66.7 percent from the floor (12 of 18) during the last three games.

TEAM NOTES...
• Over the last four games, Santa Clara has shot 55.0 percent from the floor, including 48.5 on 3-pointers.
• Santa Clara has had at least four players score in double figures in 11 games this season and won each one. The Broncos went 11-2 last season when at least four players hit double-figure scoring.

THE SAN FRANCISCO SERIES...
The series began in 1908 and the Broncos hold a 116-109 lead. The 225 meetings are the second-most against any Santa Clara opponent (226 vs. Saint Mary's). The Broncos have won four of the last seven meetings. The Dons have won five of the last six at home.

BY THE NUMBERS
0...Number of seniors on the roster
1...Guglielmo Caruso leads the WCC in field-goal percentage (66.4).
1...Santa Clara is blocking 4.4 shots per game which is first in the league.
2...Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC in assists at 17.9 per game.
2...Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC in field-goal percentage defense (39.6).
6...Santa Clara ranks sixth in the nation in assists per game (17.9).
8...The Broncos have connected on at least 50 percent from the field in eight games this season. They did it seven times all last season.
9...Number of underclassmen (four sophomores and five freshmen) scholarship players on the roster.
15...The Broncos rank 15th in the nation in field-goal percentage (49.1).
49...Josip Vrankic's 49 straight starts lead the team.

�� | @JosipVrankic and Jalen Williams (@JdubPSCEO) talk about the team's best start in 51 years and look ahead to this week's @WCCHoops road tests at San Francisco and Saint Mary's.#TeamFirst #StampedeAhead #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/1NKCPPXrYr

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 8, 2020

RADIO/LIVE STREAM
Anthony Passarelli (play-by-play) and John Stege (analyst) call the action during the season on radio and through WCC Network at home. All Broncos home games and West Coast Conference contests (not on an ESPN platform, CBS Sports Network or BYUtv) will also be streamed through WCC Network (local blackout restrictions apply for games broadcast over the air). As in the past two seasons, nearly all games can also be heard on either KDOW-AM 1220 or KTRB-AM 860. In addition, any of this year's games can also be heard on the Tunein app. Thursday's game can be heard on KDOW-AM 1220 or through Tunein. Click here for the complete list of 2019-20 radio broadcast outlets.

TICKETS
There are a number of ticket options for 2019-20, which has eight home games remaining. Single-game and game-plan packages are on sale. For questions, contact the Santa Clara Athletics ticket office at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu. The ticket office and doors to Leavey Center open one hour prior to tipoff.

It's another #BOGO ticket time for @SantaClaraHoops ...
For the next 2️⃣ home games, buy one, get one FREE! Don't miss out as the team is off to its best start in more than 50 years and won last 1️⃣ 6️⃣ in Leavey Center. ➡️ https://t.co/VIZrKJjNyE#StampedeAhead | #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/oZ7gYn6eFx

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 8, 2020

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, the team leader of sales and service, at (408) 554-4628 or jpmoreno@scu.edu for further details.

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