Broncos Win on the Road Again

By Nick Ostiller

The Santa Clara men's basketball team has come to rely on its unique core of Kevin Foster, Marc Trasolini and Evan Roquemore, holding the distinction of being the only team in the nation with three players who have scored over 1,000 points in their careers.

The game plan was no different Saturday afternoon, with the three standouts shouldering the load while leading the Broncos to a 64-50 road win against the University of San Diego. It was the third consecutive West Coast Conference victory for Santa Clara (16-6, 4-3 WCC), and the team's fourth in a row overall. 

Trasolini led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds while Roquemore and Foster finished with 18 points and 15 points respectively. No other starter scored for the Broncos, and the bench only provided eight total points. Although the stat sheet was lacking diversity, Santa Clara Head Coach Kerry Keating is comfortable with the leadership of his veteran players.

"Our seniors are doing a great job," Keating said. "At this point they understand the clock (on their careers) is ticking you don't have many more opportunities left. They've been through a lot in their time here, two of them being fifth-year guys and two of them being guys who have started part of their career. It's only natural they provide the type of leadership through their experiences."

Aside from helping the Broncos stay in the WCC race, Trasolini and Foster both ascended in the Santa Clara record books during the team's victory over the Toreros (11-11, 4-3). Trasolini recorded three blocked shots in the contest, moving him to No. 2 in career blocks for a Bronco. His game-high 23 points also vaulted him to No. 11 in career points, passing Bud Ogden and Mike Stewart. Keating appreciated the defensive intensity he received from Trasolini.

"(Trasolini) blocks shots, he provides some sense of understanding back there," said Keating. "Trasolini has been through a lot and can help the younger guys like Rob Garrett and Yannick (Atanga) with understanding things at times."

Foster also eclipsed a Santa Clara milestone with his 15 points, passing Bill Cartwright (2,116 points, 1975-79) to become No. 3 all-time in WCC history with 2,118 points.

"It's special," said Foster of his accomplishment. "It's been a good conference for a lot of years. I'm looking at the big picture now and I want to make sure we go out on a winning note."

While the scoring accolades are certainly impressive, the team realizes that it is going to take more than offense in order to finish with the success that Foster is hoping for. The backcourt tandem of Foster and Roquemore, who serve as the Broncos' first line of defense, have taken it upon themselves to devote more attention to holding down the opposition.

"I need to make sure I'm not a liability on defense," said Foster, who is averaging a career-best 2.6 steals per game. While the Broncos' scoring machine from Texas can fill it up with the best of them, he emphasized the importance of "watching film and making sure I put the effort in on the defensive side."

Roquemore's 1.5 steals per game is also the best output of his three-year career. He had two against the Toreros, and together with Foster, held San Diego's starting guards to just 17 points combined.

"We're defending better," said Keating. "A lot of games get closer into January and February. We're doing a better job defending from the start of games and that's helped us at the end."

Defense will be key for the Broncos if they want to extend their four-game winning streak. The upcoming schedule for the Broncos includes tonight's matchup with the Portland Pilots (8-14, 1-6) at the Leavey Center followed by a road game against the Brigham Young University Cougars (16-6, 6-2) over the weekend. Although Portland is saddled in last place in the WCC, Keating does not want his team to overlook the matchup, despite BYU looming on the horizon.

"We've done a good job of not looking ahead," said Keating. "We're over-conscious of that. It's all about Portland on Thursday. We'll worry about BYU at 9:30 (p.m.) on Thursday or whenever the game ends."  

Contact Nick Ostiller at nostiller@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.