Broncos Come Back To Win

Win sparks momentum into Thursday

John Brussa
Sports Editor
January 24, 2019 

(Santa Clara Athletics) Tahj Eaddy helped the Broncos surmount Pacific’s lead on Saturday, scoring 18 points and securing the victory.

STOCKTON, Calif.—Following two straight losses in their three-game road trip, Men’s Basketball was able to turn things around against Pacific on Saturday. The Broncos, who faced a 12-point deficit in the second half, came back to defeat the Tigers 69-57.

Santa Clara committed just six turnovers—tying a season low against Idaho in December—compared to the 19 in last Thursday’s game against Saint Mary’s in which they were blown out 75-55.

Sophomore guard Tahj Eaddy, averaging 16.2 points per game, led the Broncos in scoring with 18 points and was among four Broncos to score in the double-digits.

Fellow sophomore Josip Vrankic knocked down 14 points and was good for his third double-double in the last four games.

During the second period, the Tigers’ lead reached 47-35. Following two threes from Eaddy, Santa Clara pulled within three with 8:47 left on the clock. Pacific’s shooting went ice cold (32 percent in the second half) and the Broncos went on a 19-2 scoring streak to clinch the victory.

Men’s Basketball faces No. 5 Gonzaga tonight at 8 p.m. at home in the Leavey Center.

Women’s Water Polo

DAVIS, Calif.—Women’s Water Polo opened its season Saturday at the Aggie Invite hosted by UC Davis.

After losing just two seniors last year and retaining all of its starting lineup, the Broncos were poised and experienced heading into Saturday’s matchups.

In their first contest against the hosting Aggies—ranked No. 10 nationally—it was UC Davis that took control early, scoring four times in as many minutes and cruising to a 15-5 victory over the Broncos.

In the second contest of the day in the late afternoon, Santa Clara took on Fresno Pacific. Seniors Hannah Buck and Annie Eldridge each scored three times and began the game with a 6-1 lead over the Sunbirds. Holding Fresno Pacific scoreless thereafter, the Broncos won 11-5.

(Santa Clara Athletics) Elvena Gevargiz was a part of all three doubles victories for the Broncos.

Women’s Tennis

FULLERTON, Calif—Women’s Tennis kicked off its 2019 spring season opener this past weekend at the Cal State Fullerton Titan Invitational.

On Friday, Santa Clara went 6-4 overall (2-1 in doubles, 4-3 in singles) which included doubles wins by sophomore Nadine Del Carmine and first-year Jamie Schroer, and by sophomore Elvena Gevargiz and junior Caitlyn Frankel over the tournament’s host, CSUF.

During the second day of competition, the Broncos tallied five more victories. Santa Clara’s only doubles win of the day came in a match against Denver and the rest came during singles matches against CSUF.

The Broncos notched two more doubles victories on Sunday—the final day of the invitational against Arizona and Pacific.

Gevargiz was apart three doubles wins, leading Santa Clara on the weekend. The Broncos were 5-4 in doubles matches and 4-3 in singles on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, however, Santa Clara lost all seven singles matches, leaving them 8-13 overall.

The Broncos host Dominican University this Saturday at 11 a.m.

Contact John Brussa at jbrussa@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.

SportsJohn Brussa