Week Three in the WCC includes career highs, records

By CURRAN McCAULEY

The Thanksgiving holiday was a feast of hoops, with West Coast Conference teams in action all over the country as tournaments dotted the landscape all week. From the Bahamas and Southwest Florida to Corpus Christi and Sacramento, the programs of the WCC had a chance to go head to head with key non-conference opponents on neutral sites as the rest of us feasted on mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. In a week that featured high-scoring outputs and career-defining feats, here are five things we learned. Enjoy December.

 

1. It’s Jared Brownridge’s World… – Santa Clara guard Jared Brownridge scored a career high 44 points against No. 11 Arizona in a 75-73 overtime loss on Thursday. No other Bronco scored in double figures as James Harden saw his Wooden Legacy tournament record of 40 points surpassed. The outburst was rather unexpected for a Broncos squad that was winless on the season heading into the tournament. After taking Arizona to the absolute limit on Thursday, Santa Clara dispatched the ACC’s Boston College on Sunday to take the 7th place game of the tournament. Brownridge was largely cold, chipping in just 9 points on 27 percent shooting from the field. Crosstown rival San Jose State visits on Saturday in a Mountain West – WCC clash.

2. Upon Further Review…Kyle Collinsworth is Really, Really Good – Collinsworth set the NCAA career triple-double record, picking up his seventh in the lone BYU contest this week. Collinsworth eclipsed a mark held by LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal and Drexel’s Michael Anderson. The senior put up 26 points, dished out 10 assists and collected 10 boards to complete the feat against OVC favorite Belmont in Provo. The 10th board was added on Sunday morning after a stat correction. BYU Freshman Nick Emery also put up 27 points, establishing a career high as the Cougars moved to 4-1 on the season.

3. Gonzaga takes 3rd in Atlantis as Pac-12 Showdowns Loom – After opening the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament with a win over Washington on Wednesday, the Bulldogs fell to Texas A&M on Thanksgiving morning, dropping a close decision to a team that looks like a true contender for a March run this season. The Bulldogs led for most of the game, but were sunk by a late Aggie run. Gonzaga played a good chunk of the game without Domantas Sabonis, who got into early foul trouble. The ‘Zags recovered on Friday to take down No. 18 UConn as Kyle Wiltjer scored 17 points and an again-limited Sabonis chipped in a dozen. Three of the next four contests are against Pac-12 programs (Washington State, Arizona and UCLA).

4. Saint Mary’s rolls past Bakersfield – In its first contest after taking down Stanford, the Saint Mary’s men’s basketball team saw five scorers reach double figures in a 94-59 blowout win at home in Moraga. Guard Joe Rahon scored 11 points, chipping in a game-high eight assists while center Evan Fitzner finished a rebound short of a double-double (16 points, 9 rebounds). Emmett Naar led all scorers with 17 points. Matchups with UC Davis and UC Irvine this week serve as preludes to a December 12th clash in Berkeley against Cal.

5. Great week for Stacy Davis as Pepperdine goes 2-2 – Stacy Davis scored in double figures in all four of the Waves’ contests this week, including a 21 point performance against Duquesne and double-doubles on back-to-back nights in the Gulf Coast Showcase as Pepperdine took a fourth place finish. Against Montana on Sunday in Malibu, Davis chipped in 16 points, grabbing six rebounds in a 69-63 win. Pepperdine travels to Cal State Northridge before hosting Long Beach State this week.