Web update: Broncos rout Monterey Bay 66-49

By Natasha Lindstrom

The Broncos squared off against their second Division II team this week in Friday's season-opener against Cal State Monterey Bay.

This time they came out on top.

Santa Clara cruised to an easy victory over the Otters, with junior center John Bryant carrying the Broncos with 26 points and 14 rebounds and sophomore guard Jonathan Gunderson exploding with 12 points in the second half to earn a 66-49 win in the Leavey Center. Gunderson was the Broncos' second leading scorer with a total of 14 points.

The win offered some consolation for Bronco fans after a disappointing loss to Division II Cal State Stanislaus on Monday, 69-68. To prepare for tonight's game, men's basketball Head Coach Kerry Keating said the team practiced taking more shots than usual and focused on not missing blockouts.

"If we're playing decent defense and we're holding teams to one shot, that gives us a chance to win a game," said Keating, "but we have to be a much better blocking team."

Bryant started out strong and scored 18 points to propel the Broncos into the lead - including a crowd-pleasing slam dunk with just under three minutes of the first half remaining. Bryant and senior guard Brody Angley netted 26 of the Broncos' 32 points in the first half.

The Broncos shot 50 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line in the first half, and Santa Clara headed to the locker room with a 14-point lead at 32-18.

The Broncos' momentum slowed when the second half began - what Keating cited as fatigue - and the Otters went on a 4-0 run in the first three minutes. But the Broncos eventually picked up speed.

With eight minutes to go in the second half, Gunderson grabbed control of a loose ball at the far outside center. He lofted a 3-pointer about 25 feet from the basket that sparked an energized eruption from the Ruff Rider crowd.

Sophomore forward Cedric Latimer tipped in a missed lay-up bouncing off the rim to bring the Broncos to a dominating 60-40 lead with six minutes to go.

The Ruff Rider crowd began to sing "Goodbye" with more than five minutes remaining, but the 20-point cushion was well-needed. Santa Clara failed to score for last 5 minutes of the game, except for two free throws and one field goal with 20 seconds to go.

"We didn't have our personnel in to be able to run a lot of offense," said Keating, who was more concerned about the team's four turnovers in the last few minutes. "Time becomes a factor in the end of the game here, and fortunately we were up by 20. We have to take the chance to get these guys rested."

The Broncos racked up 20 personal fouls, with the Otters close behind with 18 fouls. Freshman forward Ben Dowdell led the Broncos in assists with six and Latimer and freshman guard Zac Tiedeman contributed four assists each. The Broncos secured 10 offensive and 32 defensive rebounds.

"It's always going to start with our ability to concentrate on what our defense is and give ourselves the best chance to win - which includes guarding the ball, which includes blocking out, which includes contesting every shot, which includes communication," said Keating.

The win marks a stepping stone for the Broncos, who must rebuild after losing six seniors from the 2006-2007 season. Bryant and Angley are the only two returning starters that made it to the WCC Tournament Championship Game last year.

To add to the challenge, almost all players are dealing with some kind of injury. Junior guard Calvin Johnson was out with a back injury and Dowdell came off Monday night's game with a bruised hip and shoulder.

Even Angley played through a bruised heel.

Tuesday the Broncos will head to Redding, Calif. to play Simpson University, followed by six more away games before returning to Santa Clara to host Pacific on Dec. 12.

Contact Natasha Lindstrom at (408) 551-1918 or nlindstrom@scu.edu.