AUDIO: Sendek Postgame Interview on KDOW
SAN DIEGO – Josip Vrankic had his second-straight impressive outing, but this one aided in producing a key road victory.
Vrankic posted 20 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double to help lead Santa Clara men's basketball to a 65-52 win over San Diego on Saturday afternoon.
Jalen Williams scored 11 points and Tahj Eaddy had all nine of his points in the second half when the Broncos (17-5, 4-3 West Coast Conference) fended off a rally from the Toreros who were held to a season-low 31 percent shooting from the field, including just 3 of 21 from behind the 3-point line.
James Jean-Marie had 14 points, including 11 in the final 20 minutes, and Joey Calceterra added 12 for San Diego (8-14, 1-6), which has dropped six of its last seven games.
Santa Clara led as many as 25 points in the second half before the Toreros made a run.
A 15-2 flurry pulled San Diego within 50-38 with nearly 9 minutes left in the game, but after a Santa Clara timeout Williams nailed a jumper and Eaddy connected on a 3-pointer. The Toreros never got closer than the final margin.
The Broncos took control by scoring the last 13 points of the first half to build a 38-17 lead.
Keshawn Justice had two 3-pointers in that 3:11 stretch as the Toreros missed their final four shots from the floor and turned the ball over twice.
"I thought we really tried to play the right way in the first half," head coach Herb Sendek said. "Our guys came out and did a really nice job of sharing the basketball. I thought our defense was really locked in."
The lead grew to 48-23 with 14:49 left in the game before Santa Clara got sloppy with the ball.
The Broncos had 12 of their 20 turnovers after intermission, but were ultimately able to offset those miscues by connecting on 8 of 15 from beyond the 3-point line and forcing the Toreros into 19 turnovers in the game.
"We played in peaks and valleys in the second half," Sendek said. "But needless to say, after a tough loss Thursday night it's great to come on the road and get a win which is never easy.
Vrankic went 7 of 13 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-point attempts.
Vrankic went 7 of 13 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-point attempts. He became the 35th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. The junior needed to score 17 in the game and now has 1,003.
The junior scored a career-high 33 in Thursday's disheartening 90-86 overtime home loss to Pepperdine.
Santa Clara has shown the ability to bounce back this season, improving to 5-0 after a loss.
NOTES
• In a series that began in 1953, Santa Clara leads, 49-38, with wins in 10 of the last 15 meetings. The Broncos have won five of the last seven at San Diego. The Broncos won 68-56 in last year's conference opener (Jan. 3) and then fell to the Toreros, 62-45, but the previous five meetings were decided by a total of 21 points.
• The Broncos played without starting forward Guglielmo Caruso (lower right leg) for the seventh-straight game. The sophomore, who leads the WCC in field-goal percentage, was injured against Alcorn State (Dec. 29) and was ruled out indefinitely.
• Over the last five games, Josip Vrankic is averaging 20.6 points on 55.9 percent (26 of 46) shooting from the field and 6.4 rebounds. He's also attempted 41 of the team's 101 free throws in that span, connecting on (75.6 percent).
• Leading scorer Trey Wertz was held to seven points and only had one assist. He had scored in in double figures in 10 of the previous 11 games.
• As part of a Coaches vs. Cancer initiative, the coaching staff wore sneakers with their suits during the game.
AUDIO | In the postgame interview presented by @ROATweets, head coach @HerbSendek discusses the @WCCHoops road win against @usdmbb.
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 26, 2020
��️ https://t.co/uw7Jq076up#TeamFirst | #StampedeAhead | #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/o38WuEpdJ7
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