MORAGA, Calif. (AP) - Near-record 3-point shooting helped Saint Mary's to an 84-52 home victory Thursday night over Santa Clara.
The hosts hit 14 3-pointers, one shy of the all-time school mark, as they recorded the largest margin of victory in the 191-game series between the San Francisco Bay area and West Coast Conference rivals.
The victory snapped an eight-game regular-season conference winning streak for Santa Clara (11-8, 3-1) against Saint Mary's (11-7, 2-1).
Daniel Kickert had a career-high five 3-pointers - one of six different Gaels who connected on 3-pointers. Saint Mary's shot 53 percent for the game, but 64 percent (14-of-22) from 3-point range.
The Gaels built a 44-24 halftime lead, breaking the game open with a 19-2 run after Santa Clara closed to 17-15.
Saint Mary's had four scorers in double figures, led by Kickert's game-high 19 points. E.J. Rowland had a game-high six assists to go with his 17 points. Paul Marigney, the WCC's leading scorer in conference games, had 15 off the bench.
Kyle Bailey was the lone Santa Clara player to reach double figures. He scored 12 points.
The Broncos return to action Saturday night in a 7 p.m. tipoff at San Francisco.