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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Northeastern men's basketball team had five players post double-figure scoring efforts in a 78-72 victory over Santa Clara on Saturday at the Cable Car Classic.

The Huskies shot 59 percent (27-for-46) and made 11 3-pointers to improve to 7-3, the program's best 10-game start since 1985-86 when NU started 8-2 and eventually improved to 13-2. 

Senior Scott Eatherton posted his third straight double-double with 20 points (on 9-of-11 shooting), 10 rebounds and four blocks, while junior David Walker poured in 16 points on five 3-pointers. 

Junior Caleb Donnelly turned in a career game with 13 points–including three 3-pointers–while redshirt junior Quincy Ford (12 points, five assists) and sophomore T.J. Williams (11 points, five assists) also turned in impressive performances to help NU improve to 2-0 all-time vs. Santa Clara.

The Broncos (5-5) also placed five players in double-figure scoring, led by Jared Brownridge who had 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Nate Kratch chipped in 15 points off the bench, while Denzel Johnson (13 points) and Matt Hubbard (12) also scored in double figures. 

The Huskies held Santa Clara's leading scorer, Brandon Clark (17.4 ppg), to just 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting.

Northeastern shot 61 percent in the first half to jump out to a 42-33 lead at the break. The Huskies hit seven 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes, including two apiece from Donnelly, Ford and Walker, to tally their second-highest scoring first half of the season (44 points vs. Manhattan). 

Santa Clara made things interesting in the second stanza, pulling within two at 60-58 with 9:16 to play, but a pair of huge 3-pointers from Walker gave NU a six-point cushion, 66-60, with under seven minutes to play. 

After the Broncos pulled back within four, Donnelly buried a big triple to initiate a 7-0 Northeastern run that put the game out of reach at 73-62 with 4:35 remaining.

The nation's seventh-best free-throw shooting team, Northeastern uncharacteristically struggled at the foul line (13-for-21), but made shots when it needed to in order to close out the Broncos down the stretch.

The Huskies will look to knock off a second straight West Coast Conference opponent on Monday when they take on St. Mary's in Moraga, California at 9 p.m. (EST).

NOTES
• Caleb Donnelly set a new career high with 13 points (previous high was three points).
• Scott Eatherton posted his third straight double-double
• Eatherton scored in double-figures for the ninth straight game
• The Huskies knocked down a season-high 11 3-pointers
• Northeastern's 42-point first half was its second-highest scoring first half of the year (44 points vs. Manhattan).
• The Huskies had five players reach double-figure scoring for the first time this season.
• NU improved to 2-0 all-time vs. Santa Clara, and 3-1 all-time at the Cable Car Classic
• The Huskies are off to their best 10-game start (7-3) since 1985-86 when they started 8-2 and eventually improved to 13-2

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