Bronco veterans leading the way
By CHAD ALVES
Men's basketball found its scoring touch last week in posting two non-conference victories over Brown and Nevada.
After struggling offensively for much of the early part of the season, the Broncos broke out by scoring over 70 points in both of their wins to gain some momentum heading into the start of West Coast Conference play.
In Santa Clara's home game against Brown last Thursday, the Broncos recorded an 82-48 win. The 34-point margin of victory was the team's largest this season, and it helped them gain some of the scoring confidence they were hoping for at the start of the season.
Senior Todd Wuschnig led the Broncos with 20 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, and also added a game-high nine rebounds. Seniors Nathan Fast and Darrell Teat each added 17 points while junior Jamie Holmes finished with 10, giving the Broncos four players in double-figures. More importantly, Santa Clara shot 50 percent from the field, displaying the offensive production they will need to compete for the WCC title.
Despite the end result, the game remained close for much of the first half as Brown matched the Broncos basket for basket. But with just over six minutes remaining in the half and the game tied at 23, Santa Clara (9-6) went on a 17-7 run that gave them a 10-point halftime lead. The Broncos then picked up where they left off to start the second half, extending their lead to 21 early on with a 21-10 outburst.
Playing against a Nevada team that was 2-8 entering Saturday's game, Santa Clara struggled to gain control of the contest. The hot shooting the Broncos enjoyed in their win over Brown continued, but Nevada kept the game close with strong offensive production of their own, and the Broncos only had a three-point halftime lead.
It remained a tight affair throughout the second half as well, but Santa Clara had enough to hold off Nevada for their fourth win in a row. Fast led all scorers with a season-high 23 points.Santa Clara also got a solid game from junior point guard Brian Jones, who broke out of a scoring slump with 16 points against Nevada. Jones also dished out seven assists, and he carried the Broncos down the stretch as he scored eight of his points in the final two minutes of the game. Teat and Holmes added 10 points apiece to round out a balanced offensive attack.
Santa Clara must continue their offensive production as they compete in a very strong WCC this year. The Broncos open this week at Portland tonight, and will then travel to Gonzaga to face the conference favorites Saturday. Santa Clara returns home for their conference opener on Friday, Jan. 21 against Pepperdine.