USD Meets First-Place Santa Clara in an Effort to Stay Alive in WCAC

The University of San Diego faces Santa Clara in a West Coast Athletic Conference game tonight in Toso Pavilion at Santa Clara.

USD is barely afloat in the WCAC race with a 2-4 record (13-8 overall). The Toreros are three games behind Santa Clara and Pepperdine, which are both 5-1 and tied for first.

Santa Clara played the Toreros in the Sports Center on Feb. 2, and the Broncos won, 62-56. All-WCAC guard Harold Keeling had 32 points for Santa Clara in that game.

The 6-3 senior has been giving a lot of people trouble this year. He’s the second-leading scorer in the league (trailing Loyola Marymount’s Keith Smith) with a 20-point average. In the Broncos’ last game--a 73-71 win over St. Mary’s--Keeling had 26 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

“Harold’s been our leading scorer for three years,” said Bronco Coach Carroll Williams, whose club is 16-6 overall and 8-2 at home. “We’d be in big trouble without him and Vanos.”

Vanos, the 7-2 center, comes into the game third in the league in scoring at 17.2. He leads the WCAC in rebounds per game at 10.9. USD center Scott Thompson, who is averaging 11 points and 6.5 rebounds, did a good job against Vanos when these teams last met. Thompson scored 14 points and limited Vanos to the same.

The Broncos have a third capable scorer in Scott Lamson. He’s averaging 12.7 points per game, 14.2 in WCAC play.

Senior forward Anthony Reuss continues to lead the Toreros in scoring. He’s averaging 12.4 points per game, shooting .580 from the field and .790 from the free throw line.