San Francisco Defeats Santa Clara, Completes Sweep of Broncos

Feb 6, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Dons guard Chris Adams (10) and teammates celebrate after a basket during the second half against the San Diego Toreros at Jenny Craig Pavillion. The Dons won 74-67. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Dons pulled away in the last 4 minutes, beating the Santa Clara Broncos 69-63 on Saturday night in Santa Clara. The Dons moved to 16-10 (9-5) and the Broncos fell to 11-16 (4-10).

USF was led by Kruize Pinkins‘ 26 points, and Cole Dickerson chipped in 13 points and 14 boards. Pinkins, Dickerson, and Mark Tollefson combined for 52 points and 28 rebounds for the Dons, who exploited the lack of interior size for the Broncos.

Santa Clara had a balanced attack from the perimeter, with 4 guards in double figures. Freshmen Jared Brownridge and Jalen Richard combined for 5 threes and 25 points, but as a team it only shot 40%, and only 32% from three.

With the win, the Dons are now tied for third place in the WCC with Saint Mary’s. A very intriguing matchup between the Dons and the Gaels for sole possession third place in the conference – and possibly second place if BYU loses to Gonzaga – will take place this upcoming Thursday.

Santa Clara has an important game this upcoming Thursday for seeding purposes. The Broncos host the Pacific Tigers (14-11, 5-9), and a win – combined with a San Diego loss to Portland – would put them tied for 7th place in the conference standings. That game will take place at 7:oo pm.