Broncos Lose a Thriller to the Gauchos in Overtime

Courtesy: Santa Clara University Athletics

The host Santa Clara Broncos lost to the UCSB Gauchos 83 – 80 in overtime in another thriller at the Leavey Center.  The Broncos had lost to Utah State in overtime earlier in the week, and followed up that disappointing loss with another nail-biting loss to the Gauchos tonight before 1,819 fans.

Senior shooting guard Kevin Foster had another outstanding game with 28 points, including four 3-point buckets, giving him 335 for his career–good enough for third all-time in the WCC, behind LMU’s Jeff Fryer (363) and Portland’s Jared Stohl (336).  Evan Roquemore followed up with a solid performance of 22 points and five assists.  Foster not only scored in flurries, but also found his teammates for nine assists, leading the Broncos in that category also.  Niyi Harrison cleaned up the boards with 11 rebounds, Marc Trasolini grabbed 10, while Yannick Atanga chipped in with five.

Alan Williams led the Gauchos with a monstrous double-double, tallying 29 points and 17 rebounds.  Kyle Boswell shot 4-of-8 from behind the 3-point line–including the clutch shot to tie the game with time running out in regulation.  Boswell finished with 15 points, while Taran Brown chipped in 11 points, and nine rebounds.  TJ Taylor and Nate Garth led the Gauchos with six and five assists, respectively.

The first half was a game of short runs by both teams, with the Broncos gettings dunks by Robert Garrett and Niyi Harrison.  The Broncos managed to take a 30 – 28 halftime lead on the strength of 3-point shots by Roquemore and Foster.

Foster continued his hot shooting to start the second half, hitting three 3-point shots in a span of four minutes.  The Gauchos were able to catch the Broncos in regulation by fouling, while Brown and Boswell knocked down contested 3-point shots to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, Williams managed to make two free throws before fouling out, while a layup by Taylor and two free throws by Brown closed out the win for the Gauchos.

Box Score

Video highlights:  http://youtu.be/xW4orzZZUiA

Next up for the Broncos is Pacific Union on December 8.  Tip off is 7 pm.