Foothill’s Roquemore can’t save Santa Clara in WCC tourney loss

Evan Roquemore hadn't won a basketball game since right before New Year's Eve.

He'll have to wait until November for another chance to taste victory.

The former Foothill High School guard did all he could Wednesday to rescue Santa Clara in its first-round game against Portland in the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Despite leading the ninth-seeded Broncos with 21 points, Roquemore couldn't get his team home. He stepped on the baseline while trying to drive to the basket for the tying score with 5.8 seconds to play, and the eighth-seeded Pilots held on for a 74-70 win.

Santa Clara (8-22) closed its season with 18 straight losses. Portland (7-23), which was led by forward Ryan Nicholas' 24 points and 11 rebounds, will play No. 5 San Francisco (18-12) at 6 p.m. today at The Orleans. In today's second game, No. 7 Pepperdine (10-18) meets No. 6 San Diego (12-17) at 8 p.m.

"It's been a learning experience," said Roquemore, a 6-foot-3-inch sophomore. "I've never had a losing season, much less losing 18 in a row. But I'm going to use it as motivation to work on my game this spring and summer and come back in the fall a better player."

Roquemore averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 assists this season but didn't have much help. The Broncos had injury issues before the season started, as forward Marc Trasolini missed all of 2011-12 after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in September. Transfer Chris Caird tore an ACL and medial collateral ligament in a September pickup game and never made it to campus.

The biggest blow came when guard Kevin Foster, who was the WCC's leading scorer at 17.8 points per game, was suspended Jan. 21 after being arrested for drunken driving and did not return.

Roquemore missed two games because of a foot injury in early February. But despite his team's struggles, he continued to play at a high level.

"I think I grew up a lot," Roquemore said. "I was more mature, more accountable. I tried to be more of a leader."

On Wednesday, Portland ran a second defender at him when Roquemore tried to drive, and the Pilots denied him open looks for the most part. He shot 4 of 18 from the floor but was sharp from the foul line, making 11 of 12 free throws.

"He's fast, and he's tricky," Portland guard Kevin Bailey said. "You don't know which way he's going to go."

Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating trusted Roquemore to keep the ball in his hands and have him continue to attack. By doing so, Roquemore led the Broncos back after Portland had built a 53-40 lead 3:52 into the second half.

"We've never asked him to change the way he plays," Keating said. "He's going to look for his teammates like he always does and make plays for himself."

With Santa Clara down 72-70 and 19.6 seconds to go, the Broncos got the break they needed as Portland guard Tim Douglas was called for a charge. Keating thought about calling timeout but didn't want to let the Pilots set up defensively.

Instead, he gave Roquemore the green light. Roquemore had been successful driving to the basket and getting fouled, and as he drove the baseline one final time, the Pilots rotated over to help. But before Roquemore could release the ball, he was whistled for stepping out of bounds.

It was the first and only turnover of the night for Santa Clara. But it also exemplified the Broncos' frustration since the calendar turned to 2012.

"I thought there was some contact, but I've got to stay strong in that situation," Roquemore said.

Instead of ending the long slide, Roquemore and his teammates have a long spring and summer ahead of them to dwell on the misfortune that has befallen the program.

"The burden is on us to use this pain as motivation," Keating said. "I told our guys I want the season to start (today)."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.