March 7, 2009
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS (AP) - John Bryant had 24 points and a West Coast Conference tournament record 27 rebounds Saturday night to lead Santa Clara to an 80-69 victory against San Diego in the quarterfinals.
Bryant, the conference player of the year, had 17 first-half rebounds to help Santa Clara (15-16) build an early double digit lead and advance to the semifinals Sunday against top-seeded Gonzaga.
Bryant's effort helped Santa Clara outrebound San Diego 47-24. Santa Clara, the tournament's No. 4 seed, used an 8-0 run midway through the second half to stop a San Diego rally and take a 52-37 advantage with under eight minutes to play.
Bryant was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line for Santa Clara to finish with 21 points, and Marc Trasolini contributed 18 points.
San Diego was paced by Rob Jones with 20 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season. Roberto Mafra (13 points) and De'Jon Jackson (11 points, 7 assists) also performed well. USD finishes with a mark of 16-16.
