The Broncos had an answer every time Pacific cut into the lead in the second half, making their final 21 free throws to hold on for a thrilling 84-80 win over the Tigers who had won 10 of their previous 12.

Santa Clara won its 17th in a row at home, the fifth-longest active streak in NCAA Division I.

After a pair of free throws by Trey Wertz gave Santa Clara (16-4, 3-2) an 82-77 lead with 10 seconds remaining, Jeremiah Bailey hit a 3-pointer and was fouled on the play by Jaden Bediako with 5.3 seconds left for an opportunity for a 4-point play.

Coming off a timeout, Tigers head coach Damon Stoudamire elected to have Bailey intentionally miss the free throw in hopes of getting an offensive rebound but the ball went off a Jahil Tripp on the ricochet off the rim.

Wertz fouled in backcourt with 2.5 seconds left and iced the game when with two free throws, part of his season-high 31 points. Josip Vrankic added 16 points and Tahj Eaddy chipped in with 13 for the Broncos.

The Tigers (15-6, 3-2) were led by Jahlil Tripp who had 28 points, including 24 in the second half. Bailey was the only other Tiger in double figures with 13 points.

Vrankic fouled out with 4:45 left and the Broncos leading 66-57 and DJ Mitchell, who had eight points and eight rebounds, fouled out with 1:22 left and the lead trimmed to six points.

On the four occasions the Tigers closed the gap to three points or less in the final eight minutes, Santa Clara answered with two made free throws each time. The Broncos finished the game going 31-for-38 from the line, including 22 of 25 in the second half.

Wertz carried the offensive load for the Broncos in the first half, pouring in 17 points to nearly match the total for the Tigers. He made 6 of 7 shots and closed out the half with a 3-pointer to give Santa Clara a 36-22 lead.

The sophomore guard scored 13 of the last 19 points of the opening 20 minutes for the Broncos, including the final eight. He came into the game shooting 62 percent from the field in the last six contests and connected on 10 of 12 from the floor and made 9-for-10 from the line.

Pacific, which had 22 more field goal attempts (65-43), shot just 29 percent from the field in the first half making one 3-pointer in 11 attempts but caught fire after halftime, scoring 58 points on 58 percent shooting and six 3-pointers.

The Tigers had a 37-28 advantage on the boards with 17 of them coming on the offensive end leading to 16 second chance points, compared to four offensive rebounds for the Broncos.

HIGHLIGHTS | Held down Leavey for the 17th straight game in Saturday night's victory over Pacific!#TeamFirst #StampedeAhead #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/ByPqDVN3m8

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 19, 2020

HOME COOKING
• Santa Clara has won its last 17 home games, dating to last season. That streak is the third longest in school history and ranks first all-time during the Toso Pavilion/Leavey Center era (since 1975-76). The mark is also the fifth-longest active streak in the NCAA. Santa Clara has not lost at home since a 66-55 defeat to Saint Mary's (Feb. 14, 2019).
• Santa Clara has extended its school record for consecutive home wins to start a season to 15. The prior mark of 11 was achieved in both 1967-68 and 1968-69.

INTERVIEW | In the postgame interview presented by @ROATweets, head coach @HerbSendek breaks down the @wcchoops victory over @pacificmensbb.#TeamFirst | #StampedeAhead | #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/a9mkJSuJTf

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 19, 2020

NOTES
• The Broncos have a 99-45 edge in a series that dates to 1905. This is the seventh season the Tigers have been a member (for the second time) of the West Coast Conference, with the Broncos leading 10-4 in that span. But the teams have faced each other every season since 1994-95. The 144 games played are the fifth-most among Santa Clara opponents. Santa Clara has won five of the last seven in Leavey Center.
• The Broncos played without starting forward Guglielmo Caruso (lower right leg) for the fifth-straight game. The sophomore, who leads the WCC in field-goal percentage, was injured against Alcorn State (Dec. 29) and is out indefinitely.
• Santa Clara matched its win total from last season. The Broncos were 16-15, including 8-8 in the WCC.
• The Broncos (55.8) shot more than 55 percent from the floor seventh time this season. They have connected on at least 50 percent from the field in nine games this year. They did it seven times during 2018-19.
• The 84 points for Santa Clara was the most by Pacific opponent in regulation this season. The previous high was by San Francisco in a 79-75 win on Jan. 11.
• Trey Wertz (31 points) has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games.
• Josip Vrankic sank a career-high 11 free throws on 14 attempts. His previous high was 10 of 12 against Jackson State on Nov. 29, 2018. Vrankic drew 10 of the 27 fouls whistled against Pacific.

�� Trey Wertz (@_TDub3)and Tahj Eaddy (@Tahj2Eazy_) discuss Saturday's thrilling 84-80 @wcchoops win over @PacificMensBB. #SCUBroncos hold off furious second-half rally from the Tigers. #TeamFirst | #StampedeAhead | #WCCHoops pic.twitter.com/20Iv0O8Qa8

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 19, 2020

NEXT UP
The Broncos face Pepperdine on Thursday at home. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.