Valparaiso snaps skid with 76-68 win over Santa Clara (Dec 18, 2017)

By AP
Published

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Joe Burton scored 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting and Valparaiso held off Santa Clara in the second half for a 76-68 win Monday night.

Markus Golder added 12 points and Bakari Evelyn had 11 for Valparaiso (9-3), which shot 56 percent from the field, including 9 for 18 from long range to snap a three-game skid.

Santa Clara (3-8) trailed 39-26 at the break but chipped away in the second half, trimming the deficit to 55-52 on a pair of free throws from Henry Caruso to cap an 8-0 burst with just over eight minutes left to play.

Valparaiso responded with a decisive 12-2 run that included 3-pointers from Burton and Golder and held on from there.

KJ Feagin led Santa Clara with 24 points, including four 3-pointers, and Caruso finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.