Toreros Playing Better, but Still Not Winning

Although the University of San Diego basketball team is in danger of falling out of the West Coast Athletic Conference race, Torero Coach Hank Egan can’t find too much fault with the way his team has been playing this season.

“We’re losing, but we’re playing better and better all the time,” he said. “The kids are giving an effort. When you do that, the wins will come.”

However, a win wasn’t forthcoming for USD Saturday night. Santa Clara topped the Toreros 62-56, in a hard-fought contest before 2,090 in the Sports Center.

USD is 12-8 overall, 1-4 in the WCAC. The Broncos improved to 15-6, 4-1. They’re in second place, a half-game behind Pepperdine.

Bronco center Nick Vanos had a relatively quiet game--14 points and 11 rebounds. Scott Thompson, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, did a good job of holding Vanos in check.

“Scott played a great game,” Egan said.

So did Broncos guard Harold Keeling. He scored a game-high 32 points, making 12 of 21 shots from the field. In the second half, Keeling tossed in 17 of Santa Clara’s first 19 points.

Nothing the Toreros did defensively seemed to work on Keeling.

“We were man-to-man on him and he got some good buckets,” USD guard Chris Carr said. “Then we went zone and tried to slow him down, and he killed us on the baseline.”

Vanos put the finishing touches on USD at the free throw line. The 7-2 center hit a two free throws with 38 seconds left the blunt a late rally by USD.

A Vanos basket gave the Broncos a 53-44 lead with 8:17 left in the game, but scores by Thompson and Anthony Reuss knocked four points off that advantage.

Carr had a chance to bring USD to within three the next time the Toreros had the ball. However, he missed a 15-footer. Santa Clara got the rebound and took off on a fast break, and Scott Lamson scored on a layup. He was fouled by Carr on the play and finished off the three-point play. That put the Broncos ahead 56-48 with 3:56 left.

The Toreros weren’t about to give up just yet. A jumper by Nils Madden with 38 seconds remaining cut the Broncos edge to two, 58-56.

Santa Clara immediately called timeout, then USD followed with one of its own and when the Broncos were unable to inbound the ball, they stopped play again.

At this point, the Toreros’ strategy was clear. They had to foul someone, and hope he’d miss the free throw. Vanos was the logical candidate. Unfortunately for USD, Vanos summarily stepped to the free throw line and made both ends of a one-and-one.

“We wanted to foul Vanos,” Egan said. “What’s he shooting from the line, 56 percent? (actually, 61). But he walked up there and put ‘em in the box like a veteran.”

USD still had an outside chance of at least sending the game into overtime, but were unable to score. A basket by Keeling with seven seconds left concluded the scoring on the evening.

“It was a gutty performance,” Santa Clara Coach Carroll Williams said, “especially since we didn’t play that well.”

Thanks mostly to Keeling, who scored 13 first-half points after a slow start, Santa Clara held a 32-24 lead after the first 20 minutes.

Two baskets by Reuss and a layup by Scott Thompson gave the Toreros a 17-11 advantage with 9:38 remaining in the half. Santa Clara cut that deficit to 17-16 on a jumper by Keeling, a Vanos free throw and a basket by Lamson.

After Carr’s shot made it 19-16, the Broncos ripped off a 16-4 run which enabled them to take control of the game. Vanos started it off with a four-point play. He scored from underneath and was fouled after the shot, then proceeded to make two free throws.

Reuss came down court and hit a jump shot, but the Broncos answered with nine straight points, six of which were scored by Keeling.

Following Carr’s jumper, Keeling converted a three-point play, which made the score 32-24. Carr made the back end of a one-and-one with three seconds left to close the first half scoring.

USD is idle until next Friday, when the team will travel to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount. Egan will be hoping the Toreros’ fortunes change for the better.

“I think this team has to sustain what we do offensively and defensively for longer periods of time,” Egan said. “When things go bad, we gotta have more faith in one another and what we do.”