SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's basketball closes out the regular season on Saturday against Portland.

Tipoff between the Broncos and Pilots is set for 1 p.m. in Leavey Center.

Santa Clara (18-12, 5-10) has dropped its last six, including Thursday's 78-72 home loss to Saint Mary's. Jordan Ford, the leading scorer in the West Coast Conference, posted 33 points, Malik Fitts scored 15 and Dan Fotu came off the bench to tally 13 points for the Gaels who won their fourth in a row. Tahj Eaddy posted a season-high 20 points and Giordan Williams came off the bench to score 11 for the Broncos (18-12, 5-10) who played without starters Josip Vrankic and Trey Wertz.

Portland (9-21, 1-14) has lost its last 13 games, including an 85-61 triumph by Santa Clara on Feb. 1.

The Pilots are 2-9 on the road this year. The Broncos have lost their last four at home after winning 17 in a row. They are currently in seventh place in the WCC standings while Portland is 10th.

The WCC Tourament kicks off on Thursday, March 5, in Las Vegas. The Broncos will be the seventh seed with a win on Saturday. A loss and win by LMU at home against San Francisco, pushes the Broncos to the No. 8 seed.

QUICK HITS...
• Seven players are averaging at least 7.0 points, including three in double digits led by Josip Vrankic (12.4 ppg), Trey Wertz (12.0) and Guglielmo Caruso (10.2). DJ Mitchell is averaging 9.9 points, Keshawn Justice 8.8, Tahj Eaddy 8.6 and Jalen Williams 7.6. Vrankic leads the team in rebounding (5.6) and Mitchell is second at 5.3. Wertz is averaging a team-high 4.0 assists per game and Vrankic is second at 2.9.
• With a victory over Pacific on Jan. 18, Santa Clara matched its win total from last season. The Broncos are seeking their first 20-win campaign since 2012-13. The 16-4 start was the best since 1994-95 when the mark was the same. The 14-2 opening to the season was the best since beginning a school-record 21-0 in 1968-69 on the way to a 27-2 mark and a trip to the NCAAs. The Broncos won at least 14 of 16 to begin a season for only fourth time in school history: 14-2 in 1930-31 and 15-1 in 1946-47.

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 the one to Guglielmo Caruso (lower right leg) has been the most impactful. He has missed 12 of the last 15 games and been limited to only 24 minutes in the other three. Josip Vrankic (ankle) and Trey Wertz (concussion protocol) are the latest additions. They were injured against Pacific (Feb. 22) and did not play against Saint Mary's on Thursday. Ezekiel Richards (ankle), who played in 10 games as a reserve, and Miguel Tomley (knee), who has not seen action, have been ruled out for the season. Juan Ducasse (ankle) and Giordan Williams (ankle) each missed two games.
• Josip Vrankic has hit double figures in scoring in 10 of the last 12 games and averaged 16.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in that span. Vrankic has four double-doubles, including three in his last 12 contests.
• Jaden Bediako has taken over for Caruso in the starting lineup in 14 of the last 15 games. He has scored in double figures in five of the last seven and averaged 12.1points and 7.0 rebounds in that span.
• Giordan Williams entered Thursday's Saint Mary's game having posted seven points in his previous seven games off the bench, but responded by scoring 11, including nine in the second half, on 4 of 5 shooting from the field.

THE PORTLAND SERIES...
In a series that began in 1946, Santa Clara leads 67-33. It has been a series of streaks in recent years. The Broncos have captured the last nine meetings, which followed a three-game winning streak for Portland. Santa Clara has won four of the last five at home.

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 have been heard on either KDOW-AM 1220 or KTRB-AM 860. In addition, every game this year can also be heard on the Tunein app. Saturday's game can be heard on KTRB-AM 860 and through Tunein. Kevin Danna subs in for Passarelli against Portland. Click here for the complete list of 2019-20 radio broadcast outlets.

Heading to Saturday's @SantaClaraHoops game against @pilotHoops? Be sure to take advantage of the $ 2️⃣ �� special in the regular-season finale!
�� 1 p.m. tipoff in Leavey Center#StampedeAhead | #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/OP0c2xY7w9

— Santa Clara Broncos (@SCUBroncos) February 29, 2020

PARKING
Parking is $10 in the main campus parking structure, which is located on Palm Drive through the main campus entrance (500 El Camino Drive). The Leavey Center parking lot is reserved for season-ticket holders. Click here for a campus map and parking restrictions.

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