Kevin Foster scored 15 points and Santa Clara used a tough second-half defense to key a 61-52 victory over San Diego on Thursday night.
Santa Clara (10-8, 1-1 West Coast) shut down the Toreros in the second half by holding them to 23 points on just 18 shots and forcing nine turnovers. San Diego shot 54.2 percent in the first half.
Foster hit a 3-pointer with 2:20 remaining after the Toreros had cut the lead to 54-50 on Matt Dorr's 3-pointer.
Troy Payne followed with a steal and basket to give the Broncos a nine-point cushion. Payne finished with 10 points.
San Diego (3-14, 0-3) was led by Dorr's 12 points and nine from Chris Gabriel.
After the game was tied 29-all at halftime, Santa Clara used a 12-4 run in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the second half to go ahead 41-33 and never trailed again.
