Dec. 6, 2007

Complete Game Notes in PDF Format

Next Game
The Santa Clara Broncos play their first game in a month in the Bay Area, as they travel to nearby San Jose to take on the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday, Dec. 8. The Rivalry Series game tips off at 7 p.m. PT at the Event Center. The Broncos will be looking for their fifth road win of the season and their fifth straight win over the Spartans. Fans can catch all the action between the Broncos and Spartans on the radio at 1220 KNTS or online at SantaClaraBroncos.com.

Last Game
Santa Clara led by as many as nine in the first half, but the Broncos could not slow down the Utah State Aggies in the second half, dropping a 71-65 decision on the road on Dec. 1. The Broncos cut an 11-point lead to two in the final minute, but the Aggies held them off to win their 48th straight non-conference home game. Brody Angley led SCU with a career high 22 points and John Bryant had 20 in defeat for Santa Clara. Angley also dished out six assists in the loss.

Head Coach Kerry Keating
Santa Clara University named Kerry Keating head coach on April 6, 2007. Keating, 36, comes to SCU with a long coaching backgroud at a number of top programs. Most recently, Keating helped UCLA reach back-to-back Final Fours as an assistant coach on Ben Howland's staff in Westwood. He has also served as an assistant at Tennessee, Tulsa, Appalachian State, Seton Hall, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. He is off to a 5-2 start in his career at SCU.

SCU vs. San Jose State
Series Record: SCU leads 69-27
First Meeting: Mar. 16, 1910, SJSU won 54-30
Record at SCU: SCU leads 50-20
Record at SJSU: SCU leads 10-2
Record at Neutral Site: SCU leads 9-5
Biggest SCU Win: 98-54 (44) on Jan. 8, 1972
Biggest SJSU Win: 92-61 (31) on Dec. 16, 1985
Notes: Santa Clara has won four straight games in the series, including a 47-46 win in 2006 at the Event Center ... Bronco forward Travis Niesen hit a buzzer-beater in 2006 to win that game for the Broncos ... SCU has also won nine of the past 10 games in the series ... from 1993-94-1999-00, the series was played at the San Jose Arena with SCU posting a 5-1 record in those games ... since 1982, these two teams have met every year except 1994-95 ... this season marks the first time that the two teams will play twice in one season since 1968-69, the last season that both teams played in the WCC ... the teams split the games that season with Santa Clara winning 64-49 and San Jose State winning 73-69 ... the Spartans win that season was the only regular season loss for SCU and the loss snapped the Broncos 21-game winning streak.

Last Game vs. San Jose State
Santa Clara earned a convincing 71-53 win over San Jose State on Nov. 27, 2006. Josh Higgins was perfect from the field (8-for-8) and scored a career high 16 points, while Danny Pariseau had 15 points and eight assists. Sean Denison had a double double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Broncos led by as many as 21 in the second half to win their third game of the season. Tim Pierce scored 23 points for the Spartans. SCU's vaunted defense held San Jose State to just 26 percent shooting from the field as the Broncos won for the ninth time in 10 games against the Spartans.

Angley Gets Hot Despite Injury
Santa Clara senior point guard Brody Angley got poked in the eye late in the Broncos' game on Nov. 29 at Eastern Washington, forcing him to the sidelines of that game. However, he checked back in to that game and hit two late free throws to help seal a 66-57 win. Angley wore a patch on his eye all day on Nov. 30 to help his scratched eye heal. After removing the patch, Angley was cleared to play by the Broncos' medical staff at Utah State on Dec. 1. Despite the eye injury, Angley had the best offensive showing of his career against the Aggies. He scored a career high 22 points on 9-for-17 shooting, while also dishing out six assists. His three-pointer and assist to John Bryant for a three-point play helped SCU cut an 11-point deficit to two points, before the Aggies escaped with a win.

Bryant Named WCC POM
The West Coast Conference announced Dec. 5 that Santa Clara University center John Bryant was named the WCC Co-Player of the Month for November along with Patty Mills of Saint Mary's. The junior from San Pablo, Calif. had an outstanding month of November, leading the Broncos to a 5-1 record in the month, including four road wins. For the month, he shot 55-of-78 from the floor for an incredible .705 to lead the league, while placing second in blocks with 15. He was second in scoring at 22.0 points per game and fourth in rebounding at 8.7 rebounds per game. His numbers placed him in the top 20 in the nation in scoring, top 10 in field goal percentage and top 40 in blocks per game.

Gunner Perfect
After scoring a career high 14 points against Cal State Monterey Bay on Nov. 9, Jonathan Gunderson did not reach double figures again until Dec. 1 against Utah State. "Gunner", as he is called by his teammates, went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, to help Santa Clara push Utah State to the limit. Three of those baskets came in the second half for SCU.

Henke Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
Santa Clara University men's basketball player Mitch Henke has been named an official candidate for the 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Henke, a senior forward for the Broncos, joins 29 other senior male basketball players as candidates for the award. The award - presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in eight sports - focuses on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition. Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA will award the winner with a trophy during the men's NCAA Final Four weekend. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.

Food Drive
Santa Clara University and San Jose State University have teamed up with Second Harvest Food Bank to create the first ever Rivalry Series Food Drive. The holiday food drive runs from Dec. 8-Jan. 7 in conjunction with the home-and-home series between the universities' men's basketball teams. Food collection bins and coin jars will be available at all Santa Clara men's and women's home basketball games from Wednesday, Dec. 8-Monday, Jan. 7 to collect donations. The Broncos play at San Jose State on Dec. 8 and then host the Spartans at the Leavey Center on Jan. 7. Fans donating at least six dollars or two (full serving) canned good items will be given a 2-for-1 coupon to purchase general admission tickets for the Jan. 7 game. Fans can donate to the cause in a number of other ways. Donations can be made online at the Second Harvest Food Bank website at https://fooddrive.shfoodbank.com/. Food and cash donations can also be dropped off at the Santa Clara Athletic Department Marketing and Promotions office and mail-in donations can be sent to SCU Athletic Department, Attn. Food Drive, Athletic Marketing and Promotions, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053.

NCAA Leaders
The Santa Clara Broncos as a team found themselves among the leaders in the nation in a number of statistical categories as of Dec. 2. The Broncos were 2nd in field goal percentage at .541, 12th in three-point percentage at .441, tied for 26th in rebound margin at +8.6, tied for 36th in assists per game at 17.0, and 46th in scoring defensive, allowing 60.1 points per game, Individually, a couple of Broncos were also among the nation's best. As of Dec. 2, John Bryant was 19th in scoring at 21.7 points per game, seventh in field goal percentage at 69.2 and 34th in blocks at 2.4 per game. Zac Tiedeman was tied for 12th in assist to turnover ration at 5.50. He has recorded 11 assists and committed only two turnovers.

Conference Stats
The 2007-08 Broncos are among the leaders in a number of statistical categories in the West Coast Conference. As of Dec. 3, SCU was first in field goal percentage (.541), first in 3-point field goal percentage (.441), first in rebound margin (+8.6) and first in assists (17.0). Individually, John Bryant was second in scoring (21.7), sixth in rebounding (8.3), first in field goal percentage (.692) and second in blocked shots (2.43). Brody Angley was first in assists (5.14), sixth in free throw percentage (.842), third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.71) and first in 3-point field goal percentage (.524).

Three in a Row
Santa Clara won three straight road games, defeating Utah, Sacramento State and Eastern Washington from Nov. 19-29. The last time a Bronco team won three straight road games was the 2004-05 season. SCU defeated Saint Mary's, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine from Jan. 15-22, 2005. The most recent streak was snapped on Dec. 1 at Utah State.

VS. WAC Opponents
After losing to Utah State on Dec, 1, Santa Clara has now notched a 154-73 record against the eight current members of the Western Athletic Conference. The Broncos take on their final WAC opponent of the season, San Jose State, on Saturday, Dec. 8.

Nearly a Record
Santa Clara had a shooting performance for the ages on Nov. 25 at Sacramento State. SCU shot 28-for-39 for the game and 19-for-22 in the second half. For the game, SCU hit .718 percent from the field and in the second half, the team hit .864 percent. The all-time program record for shooting percentage in a game is .719, set on Jan. 4, 1980 against Pepperdine.

Bryant In the Second Half
Santa Clara's junior center John Bryant has been unstoppable in the team's first seven games, especially in the second half. Against Utah State, he netted 13 second half points on 6-of-7 shooting to finish with 20 for the game. He scored 26 points at Sacramento State, 17 in the second half, on 12-of-15 shooting on Nov. 25. He also scored 17 points in the second half at Utah on Nov. 19 and 14 after intermission at Nevada on Nov. 17. For the season, Bryant is averaging 21.7 points per game and is shooting a remarkable .692 from the floor.

Angley In Top 10
Senior point guard Brody Angley had 119 assists last season, giving him 342 career assists coming into this season. With 36 assists in the first seven games he has now passed Harold Keeling (1981-85) for seventh all-time and now has 378 career assists. John Woolery (1990-94) is sixth on the list with 422.

Angley More Top 10's
Brody Angley also finds himself in the Top 10 all-time in steals at SCU with 135. He passed Lacoby Phillips (1988-92) on Nov. 25 with two steals and is now eighth on the all-time list. Doron Perkins (2003-05) is seventh with 137 steals. Along with steals, Angley now finds himself in the Top 10 all-time in games started as well. After starting against Utah State, the Redding, Calif. native now has 87 starts, moving him past Londale Theus (1976-80) for 10th all-time. Angley has an opportunity to end his career second all-time if he starts 28 games this season. The all-time leader is Brian Jones (1996-01) with 116 starts. Kurt Rambis (1976-80) is second with 107.

Henke Heats Up
Broncos senior Mitch Henke had his best game of the season at Eastern Washington on Nov. 29. Henke scored a season high 20 points and hit a career high four 3-pointers in the game. In a three minute stretch spanning the first and second halves, Henke scored 11 straight points on three 3-pointers and a lay-up inside. He also hit four clutch free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory.

Injury Update
Santa Clara has been hit by the injury bug during the early part of the season, as a number of players have missed practice time and games due to injuries. However, the Broncos are now back to full strength. Andrew Zimmermann had been sidelined with a back injury, but he has played in the past three games. Josh Higgins is now available after recovering from a Nov. 6 surgery on his left knee. Freshman Scott Thompson is now available as well after recovering from an appendectomy.

Bryant Moving Up
Center John Bryant blocked 49 shots last season, surpassing his 37 from the 2005-06 season. Bryant's 49 blocks are the third highest single season total in school history. He surpassed Jens Gordon (1987-88), who had 48. After 17 blocks in the first seven games, Bryant now has 103 career blocks, placing him third all-time in blocks in SCU history. Jens Gordon (1985-89) is second with 133.

Big Sky Opponents
Santa Clara defeated Sacramento State 77-65 on Nov. 25 in its first game of three this season against Big Sky conference opponents. SCU then knocked off Eastern Washington on Nov. 29 by a 66-57 score to move to 2-0 against Big Sky competition this year. The Broncos play Montana on Dec. 17 in their final game against a Big Sky opponent this year. Last season, SCU defeated Eastern Washington 91-68 and in 2005-06, SCU lost to Montana 67-56. Both games were at the Leavey Center.

Zimmermann On the Court
Freshman forward Andrew Zimmermann made his first appearance in a Bronco jersey on Nov. 25 at Sacramento State. He played nine minutes and scored one point, while also notching an assist. He then scored his first basket and grabbed two rebounds on Nov. 29 at Eastern Washington in 15 minutes of action. The 6-9 native of Oostburg, Wis. missed the first four games of the season with a back injury.

Road Trip
Santa Clara is in the middle of a stretch of seven games away from home. The Broncos have not had a road stretch this long since the 1996-97 season when the team also played seven in a row away from home. This year, SCU plays Simpson, Nevada, Utah, Sacramento State, Eastern Washington, Utah State and San Jose State during the road trip. In 1996-97, the Broncos faced San Jose State, Fairfield and New Orleans at the MetLife Classic in San Francisco, Eastern Illinois and Indiana at the Indiana Classic in Bloomington, Ind., and finished up with games at Eastern Washington and Pacific. The 1996-97 Broncos went 4-3 on that trip. The team is now 4-2 on its current road trip.

Johnson Starts Strong
Junior Calvin Johnson got off to a great start in his first three games this season. After missing the games against Cal State Monterey Bay and Simpson with a back injury, Johnson scored 14 points in his debut against Nevada and 21 against Utah, before going for 11 at Sacramento State. At 10.2 points per game, he is now third on the team in scoring. All 13 of his field goals have been three-pointers and he is shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc in the four games (13-for-27). He has attempted only two two-point baskets all year.

First Half/Second Half
In the first three games of the season Santa Clara had outscored its opponents 98-67, but in the second half of the first three games, the Broncos were dead even with their opponents at 104 points apiece. SCU turned that around against Utah on Nov. 19. After leading 29-27 at the half, the Broncos outscored the Runnin' Utes 43-30 in the second half to win by 15. After allowing Utah to hit 59 percent of its shots in the first half, Utah hit just 39 percent in the second half. Conversely, SCU shot 59 percent from the field in the second half after shooting 39 percent in the first half. That trend continued at Sacramento State on Nov. 25. Santa Clara trailed 29-25 at the half, but outscored the Hornets 52-36 in the second half to pick up a 12-point win. SCU shot .864 from the field in the second half and outrebounded Sacramento State 16-4. Santa Clara is now outscoring opponents 269-246 in the second half.

Second Half Spurts
On Nov. 19, Santa Clara was tied with Utah 41-41 at the 12:20 mark of the second half after a basket by the Utes. Following that basket, SCU went on a 21-4 run that lasted until 2:24 when Utah's Johnnie Bryant hit a three-pointer. During that stretch, SCU held the Utes without a field goal from 10:46 until 2:24, a stretch of 10:22. Also, Utah did not score from the 8:50 mark until 2:24. On Nov. 25 at Sacramento State, the Broncos did it again. Trailing 51-42 at the 11:45 mark, SCU outscored the Hornets 21-2 over the next 8:28 of the game to build a 63-53 lead. The Hornets went scoreless from the 8:41 mark to the 3:17 mark as SCU grabbed control of the game. The trend continued on Nov. 29 against Eastern Washington although the spurt happened early in the second half. SCU started the second half vs. EWU with a 13-2 run in the first 5:48 to turn a five-point lead into a 16-point advantage.

On the Boards
Santa Clara has held the rebounding edge in all six of its seven games this season and have not been outrebounded. Santa Clara and Utah State each had 26 boards on Dec. 1. Overall, the Broncos have outrebounded opponents 227-167 for a +8.6 margin.