Men's basketball outlasted by Zags

By Gabe Taylor

It only took 10 minutes for Gonzaga to erase a once 14 point deficit and an upset bid that the Santa Clara men's basketball team fought so hard for.

Santa Clara's shots that were almost guaranteed to fall in the first 30 minutes of the game stopped falling, the first half physical defense withered away as the team struggled to maintain that energy and the crowd's noise level that boomed through the majority of the game slowly grew more faint.

What started as an ambush of the No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs turned into a 71-64 heartbreaking loss for the Broncos.

From the opening tip, Santa Clara made it clear that, despite their 1-4 record in the West Coast Conference, they were prepared to meet the challenge.

"I don't think we quite understood the approach that Santa Clara was going to come at us with," said Gonzaga's Head Coach Mark Few.

Santa Clara jumped out to an early 7-0 as sophomore forward Marc Trasolini knocked down one of his four three-pointers in the game.

Even with a subsequent 8-0 run by the Zags, the Broncos struck right back, grabbing a 10 point lead on a three by freshman forward Raymond Cowels with just over four minutes to go in the first half.

Everything was going Santa Clara's way. The crowd rattled the stadium with screams of excitement, the bench hopped to their feet on every basket and, most importantly, the scoreboard read 38-33 Broncos at the half.

The second half began with a similar pace, matching the first half's intensity.

When junior guard Troy Payne pushed Santa Clara's lead to 53-39, their largest lead of the night, it was clear that the Broncos fans were picturing not just an upset but an embarrassment of their nationally ranked rival.

But with 10 minutes left in the contest and a nine point lead, Santa Clara started feeling the pressure of the Bulldogs and the momentum swiftly changed hands.

Bulldogs senior Matt Bouldin used his leadership qualities to unite his team and take control.

"He's been through the war since day one in this conference. He's not going to get rattled and that's going to rub off on the team," said Santa Clara Head Coach Keating.

Bouldin racked up 19 points, 6 assists and 4 steals to continue his solid performance on the court this season.

"The guys are playing so hard and they're so energetic and they want to make the right play, but sometimes they're not thinking about what the right play is," said Keating, commenting on the team's struggles in the final minutes.

In the last nine minutes of the game, the Zags went on an 18-3 run to shut out any thoughts of a Broncos victory.

"Unfortunately, they kept pushing and pushing and broke us by the end," said Trasolini.

Stephen Gray picked up the slack for the Bulldogs late in the second half after being poked in the right eye and taken out of the game briefly.

Santa Clara had one last chance to keep the game within three points and regain possession with a desperately needed stop, but a defensive zone breakdown lead to an uncontested lay-up by Gray with only one second remaining on the shot clock. With 19 seconds remaining, the Broncos were unable to strike back.

Gray finished with 19 points.

Keating is not immune to this style of game against Gonzaga, especially when dealing with the outcome. Two seasons ago, Santa Clara took Gonzaga into overtime but was unable to grasp the win. Last season, the Broncos fell just short after the actions of student fans resulted in free throws for the Zags.

The loss puts Gonzaga on an eight-game winning streak against Santa Clara.

"I feel good about where we're going; I just want to get there a little quicker. That's the lack of patience coaches usually have and I've got to have that patience with my guys," said Keating.

Trasolini's 12 points and 5 blocks and freshman forward Niyi Harrison's 14 points led Santa Clara in the loss.

Freshman point guard Robert Smith had his hands full playing against Matt Bouldin and one of the best teams in the country on national television.

"At times, being a point guard can be kind of rattling. It was my first time going through something like this, so I just have to keep talking to myself and staying focused," said Smith, who finished with 13 points and 5 assists.

However, Keating wants to see Smith learn to control the final minutes of the game, especially since Santa Clara has been in close situations in many contests this season.

"We are going to be in control of our own destiny more often than not, especially at home," said Keating.

Gonzaga fell to the University of San Francisco last Saturday 81-77.

Despite the strong effort against Gonzaga, Santa Clara was not as stable when they faced the University of Portland (14-7) at the Leavey Center. The Pilots took little time to establish their dominance, jumping out to a 20-point halftime lead, and the Broncos were unable to fight back, resulting in a 74-52 loss.

"We always expect to have a chance to win in every game, but everyone has to be ready to play," said Keating, whose team held a 17-14 lead before surrendering a 26-3 run to Portland.

The loss drops Santa Clara to 1-6 in the WCC and 9-15 overall, putting them in last in the WCC.

The Broncos will return to the road to face off against Saint Mary's (19-3) Thursday, Feb. 4 at 8:30 p.m. The game will be televised on Comcast Sports Net.

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or (408) 554-1918.