SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's basketball returned to action in front of fans for the first time since the 2019-20 season and used the energy from the Leavey Center crowd to earn an 84-77 season-opening win over Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday night.
Josip Vrankic scored a game-high 29 points on 13 of 20 shooting to pace four Broncos in double figures. Jalen Williams tallied 16 points, all coming in the second half, while Keshawn Justice scored 14 and PJ Pipes chipped in 10. Santa Clara (1-0) shot at a 57-percent clip from the field, including 61 percent in the second half.
Cal State Fullerton (0-1) shot 53 percent from the field but struggled from the long range, shooting just 2-for-12 from beyond the 3-point line. Vincent Lee led the Titans with 18 points and Dante Maddox Jr. had 17. E.J. Anosike had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
The Titans held a 34-24 rebounding advantage
In a tightly contested second half, the Broncos maintained a one possession lead for much of the final 20 minutes, butthe Titans tied the game up at 64-all on Anosike's jumper. However, Vrankic and Jalen Williams scored 12 of the next 16 points to push the lead out to seven, their biggest of the game.
The Broncos closed out the game making four of their last five free throws in the final minute.
Vrankic and Justice carried the scoring load for the Broncos in the first half combining for 24 points on 10 of 17 shooting as the Broncos took a 37-35 halftime lead.
NOTES
- Newcomers Parker Braun, PJ Pipes and Carlos Stewart made their Bronco debuts.
The Broncos get a W on opening night over Cal State Fullerton. @HerbSendek gives us the recap ��#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/6jvxrLxm7q
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) November 10, 2021
.@JosipVrankic finishes with 2️⃣9️⃣ points and 8️⃣ rebounds as the Broncos take down the Titans, 84-77#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/VjfY2ziYLh
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) November 10, 2021
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