SANTA CLARA, Calif. – One of the teams on the Leavey Center court came into the game as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation and after Santa Clara's 72-58 win over USF, many had reason to believe it was the Broncos.
 
Santa Clara nailed 13-of-26 three-pointers while the Dons managed to make just 5-of-23 shots from distance to come away with the 14-point victory.
 
Ronnie Boyce scored a team high 23 points for the Dons whiile Jordan Ratinho (12) and Matt McCarthy (10) also reached double figures. McCarthy also pulled down 10 rebounds for his second double double of the season.
 
Santa Clara (6-9, 1-1 WCC) was led by KJ Feagin's 22 points while Jared Brownridge added 20, including 13 in the second half. Of Feagin's 22 points, 12 came from beyond the three-point line, where he was 4-for-5 on the night.
 
The Dons, which came into the game shooting 48.7 percent from the floor, shot 38.9 percent compared to Santa Clara, which finished at 43.4.
 
USF (11-4, 1-1) missed its first five shots from the floor and fell behind 9-2 out of the gates. The Broncos grew their lead to 16 points at 38-22 with 1:55 left in the first half, marking the largest deficit the Dons had faced all season. USF managed to whittle the lead down to 10 at the break, 38-28. USF shot just 36 percent from the floor, including 2-of-12 from distance.
 
Feagin made all five of his shots from the floor, including three triples, for 13 first half points while Boyce kept the Dons within striking distance with 12 points before intermission.
 
The Dons outscored the Broncos, 8-2 to start the second half and cut the lead to four at 40-36 with 14:50 remaining. USF crept to within three at 43-40 after a McCarthy layup but the Broncos quieted the run by reeling off the next seven points to boost their lead back to 10 at 53-43 with 8:19 remaining.
 
USF managed to cut the lead to eight at 53-45 with 7:04 left, only to see Santa Clara score 10 of the next 12 points to take a 63-47 lead with 4:16 left. The Broncos largest lead was 18 at 69-51.
 
"I thought they were the tougher team early on," said USF head coach Kyle Smith. "They popped us in the mouth pretty good. We recovered a bit but were playing from behind all game. They took us out of their stuff and we couldn't take them out of what they wanted to do."
 
USF will return to action next Thursday when the Dons play host the No. 7-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs beginning at 6:00 p.m. in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

Ticket Information
Reserved and general admission tickets for USF's upcoming games against Gonzaga (Jan. 5) and Saint Mary's (Jan. 7), along with all other WCC home games, are currently available for purchase on-line at USFDons.com/tickets or by calling (415) 422-2USF (2873).

Fans may also purchase the Box Out Big Three ticket package, which includes a general admission seat to all three games against Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and BYU, for $105 (adults) and $90 for seniors and children 12-under.

For information regarding USF Basketball tickets for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, please call the USF Athletic Ticket Office at (415) 422-2USF (2873) or go on-line to USFDons.com/tickets.