Men's basketball prepares for WCC Tournament

By Gabe Taylor

As the ball sailed out of Robert Smith's hands with only seconds remaining, Santa Clara and their loyal fans could only hope to see the Broncos end their woes of falling short in tight contests.

But just as Santa Clara has come up short in numerous contests this season, so did Smith's shot.

Although the Broncos re-energized the crowd with a stunning comeback from a 16-point deficit, the end result was a heartbreaking 71-68 overtime loss.

The loss dropped Santa Clara's record to 3-9 in the West Coast Conference and 11-18 overall, placing them in a tie with Pepperdine for 7th place with two road games remaining in the regular season.

Santa Clara was quick out of the gates against the Dons, grabbing a 16-9 lead 10 minutes in. However, USF fought back to take a 32-29 lead to the half on a three pointer by Dior Lowhorn.

"We didn't do a good enough job on the defensive end limiting their threes," said Keating.

Lowhorn, who finished with a game-high 28 points, was a constant problem for the Broncos with his ability to pound the middle and step out for the jumper.

Because of Lowhorn and the effect he had on his team, the second half began with the Dons in complete control.

After Lowhorn scored the first five points for USF, Angelo Caloiaro topped off the hot shooting with three triples in a row.

USF took a 57-41 lead with just over eight remaining in the second half, but Santa Clara was not ready for the Dons to put the nail in the coffin.

Even though the game-clock was ticking down and the crowd looked on as though a blowout was near, the Broncos rallied back to tie the game at 59-59 with three minutes left.

Both teams traded buckets, and at the end of regulation the scoreboard read 63-63.

After USF jumped out to a four point lead in overtime, the Broncos made one last push, but Smith's shot failed to go down. Santa Clara had one more final chance, but junior Ben Dowdell's three was off the mark.

Sophomore Marc Trasolini led Santa Clara with 17 points and 6 rebounds; he was one of four Broncos to reach double figures.

Smith was not afraid to take control on offense but struggled with his shot throughout most of the game. He finished 3-18 from the field.

Dowdell was a bright spot for Santa Clara with his aggressiveness on both the defensive and offensive end; he recorded 13 points and 7 rebounds.

Throughout the game, Santa Clara attempted to respond to the Dons' lights-out shooting from behind the arc but continuously struggled to put down threes of their own.

Smith and Ray Cowells finished a combined 3-14; the Broncos shot a total of 24 threes and only connected on four.

"We're not a good three-point shooting team," commented Keating.

Being unable to win close games has been common for the Broncos this season. 11 of the Broncos' 18 losses have been within 10 points, and three of those losses have been within three points or less.

Trasolini was clear in his comments that these close losses impact the team heavily.

"They take a lot of your wind away," he said.

Heading into the final stretch before the WCC Tournament, Keating is still looking for a leader to emerge.

"It's hard to ask that of a really young team," said Keating, hoping that Smith, Trasolini or one of the more experienced players on the team will fill that role quickly.

Santa Clara will end regular season play with two final road games against No. 18 Gonzaga and the University of Portland.

"It will get us ready for what we'll face if we make it deep in the tournament," said Trasolini regarding the team's difficult end to their schedule.

The game against Gonzaga on Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. will be televised on ESPN 2.

"Unfortunately we're in a position where we're desperate to get wins. We have to scratch and fight and claw to get that," said Keating.

The WCC Tournament in Las Vegas begins March 5.

"We're just looking at it as another game," said Trasolini, even though he admitted that the pressure is on.

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.