SCOTTS VALLEY - Those who suffer from claustrophobia, or don't particularly care for the smell of sweat, should have stayed away from the cozy confines of the Bethany Bible College gym Friday night. 

But for those who enjoy a fast-paced offensive game and a wild and crazy crowd packed tight as sardines, then Bethany was just the place to be. Unfortunately for the partisan homecoming crowd, it was UCSC outlasting determined Bethany for a fever-pitched 104-88 Bay Area Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball victory.

"This is the first time we have ever played in front of a full house," said UCSC Coach Mark Henry. 

One player who mas more than happy to play to the crowd was UCSC's Bruno Baldini, who was a one-man show as he scored a career-high 40 points and grabbed seven rebounds. "This was by far the best game of my life," Baldini said. "This feels great." 

The game opened on a strange note for both teams as the underdog Bruins jumped to the early advantage, scoring the first 10 points of the game before the Banana Slugs knew what had hit them. If nothing else, the fast start by the Bruins slapped some sense into the Slugs. Once awakened, UCSC answered by scoring the next 15 points to take a 15-10 lead. By the end of the first half, the Banana Slugs held a 45-40 advantage.

With 12:36 left in the second half the Bruins closed the gap to 63-60, thanks in large part to Jim Moriarty, who connected on one of his three 3-point baskets in the game. That was as close as Bethany got, however.

"We don't have the talent or the depth that they (the Banana Slugs) have," said Bruin Coach Alan Wilson. "I was very pleased, though. Half of our players haven't even played in high school." Bethany turned the ball over 28 times in the game compared to UCSC's 13. "My goal is to go full speed and not turn the ball over," Henry said. "Give them (the Bruins) credit though, they played a great game." 

The Bruins were led by Matt Stewart, who scored 26 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Joining Baldini in double scoring figures for UCSC was John Griffin with 17 points to go along with six steals and seven assists while Kurt Jaeger added 14 points.

The win keeps UCSC in a tie for first place in conference with San Jose Bible College. Both teams have 8-1 records and one game remaining. If UCSC and San Jose finish in a tie, they will face off next week in a special playoff at a site to be determined.