GAME NOTES: After winning their fourth game of the season to get back to .500, the Santa Clara Broncos play host to the Washington State Cougars at the Leavey Center on Saturday night.

Since finishing 2-1 in the Great Alaska Shootout, the Cougars have dropped two of their last three, with their most recent outing resulting in an 81-66 loss at nationally-ranked Gonzaga. Washington State now sits a game below .500 (4-5).

Santa Clara started the season 2-0, only to lose four straight. They have since won two in a row, including a 61-50 victory last Saturday night over the San Jose State Spartans. The Broncos are now back at .500 with a mark of 4-4.

The two teams have battled it out four times previously, with the Cougars winning all four times. They last met in December of 2011 when WSU dominated Santa Clara, 93-55.

The Cougars' Josh Hawkinson notched a double-double in the recent loss to Gonzaga, collecting 18 points and 11 rebounds. Ike Iroegbu and Davonte Lacy both tallied 14 points in the defeat. Washington State was unable to do very much on defense, as the Bulldogs finished the game shooting 53.8 percent from the field. Gonzaga also dominated down low, easily winning the rebounding battle (36-23), and it had more points in the paint (56-34) as well. The one positive in the Cougars' performance was their shooting in the second half, where they were successful on 62.5 percent of their field goal attempts.

Both Lacy (18.0 ppg) and Hawkinson (14.3 ppg) have been consistent double- digit scorers for Washington State this season, with Lacy's average currently being the third-best in the Pac-12 Conference. Hawkinson has also played well down low, as he is averaging 9.6 rebounds per game and has blocked 15 shots. Washington State needs to improve defensively as it currently allows 74.7 ppg, which places the team last in scoring defense in the Pac-12. The Cougars also have the lowest field goal percentage in the conference (.415).

Jared Brownridge netted 20 points in Santa Clara's recent victory over San Jose. Brandon Clark contributed with 10 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Reserve Nate Kratch also chipped in with eight points and seven boards. The Broncos played aggressive defense and forced 20 turnovers, which they converted into 20 points. Santa Clara also held the Spartans to a mere .111 shooting percentage from 3-point range in the second half, helping them pull away after being tied at 32 coming out of halftime.

Clark (17.3 ppg) and Brownridge (14.3 ppg) have been the top two scorers for Santa Clara this season, with Clark's average currently being the fifth-best in the West Coast Conference. The Broncos will need to increase their offensive output if they want to win more games this season, as they currently average 61.9 ppg (last in the league), and shoot 42.2 percent from the field (next-to-last in the WCC). Santa Clara will also need to perform better down low, as it currently sits at -5.0 in rebounding margin, which includes being outworked on the offensive glass, 107-73.

Although Santa Clara may be able to produce more points against Washington State, the Cougars have an advantage down low with Hawkinson. Expect the big man to have a big game and bring the Cougars back to a .500 record.