Denver (2-3) vs. Santa Clara (5-1)
Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California; Wednesday, 5 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Denver visits Santa Clara in a non-conference matchup. Santa Clara won at home over Idaho State 78-65 on Friday, while Denver came up short in a 73-49 game at UC Riverside on Saturday.
LEADING THE WAY: Jase Townsend and Ade Murkey have led the Pioneers. Townsend is averaging 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while Murkey is putting up 10.6 points and four rebounds per game. The Broncos have been led by Guglielmo Caruso and DJ Mitchell, who have combined to score 23.6 points per contest.TERRIFIC TOWNSEND: Townsend has connected on 29.2 percent of the 24 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 7 of 24 over the last five games. He's also made 100 percent of his free throws this season.
TWO STREAKS: Denver has dropped its last three road games, scoring 56 points and allowing 81.3 points during those contests. Santa Clara has won its last five home games, scoring an average of 84.6 points while giving up 59.2.
ASSIST RATIOS: The Broncos have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Pioneers. Santa Clara has 62 assists on 84 field goals (73.8 percent) over its previous three outings while Denver has assists on 27 of 66 field goals (40.9 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Santa Clara is rated first in the WCC with an average of 74 possessions per game.
