SANTA CLARA, Calif. - UC Irvine scored 13 unanswered points in the final four minutes of the game to grind out a 69-64 victory over Santa Clara men's basketball on Saturday in a nonconference contest inside the Leavey Center.
Santa Clara (5-2) was held without a field goal in the final 5:21 of the game as they saw their seven point lead evaporate. During the 13-0 run, five different Anteaters contributed. A 3-pointer by Justin Hohn tied the game up at 62-all and DJ Davis followed with another 3-point basket with 1:39 left to give the Anteaters the lead for good.
Collin Welp led UC Irvine (4-1) with 17 points and had a game-high 10 rebounds while Davis added 13 and Hohn tallied 11.
UC Irvine held a 43-26 rebounding advantage including a 14-3 edge on the offensive end to outscore the Broncos 16-0 in second chance points.
Keshawn Justice led a quartet of Broncos scored in double figures with a season-high 20 points. PJ Pipes, Parker Braun and Jalen Williams each had 12.
The Broncos were poised to take control of the game with a 13-4 run midway through the second half, sparked by Braun's alley-oop dunk from Jalen Williams to take a 46-45 lead. They pushed the lead out to as many as eight points with under seven minutes to play before going cold.
Santa Clara missed their final eight field goal attempts while UC Irvine made 6 of 9.
In the first half, the Broncos got off to a slow start and were held scoreless in the opening five minutes of the game and trailed by as many as 10 points. But they made 10 of 12 shots at one point, including three-straight 3-pointers to take a 25-23 lead.
Santa Clara pushed the lead out to seven points before settling for a 36-32 advantage at the half.
.@HerbSendek recaps today's game#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/F1JE9GeV6O
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) November 28, 2021
NOTES
- Santa Clara had four scorers in double figures for the fifth time this season.
NEXT UP
- The Broncos will face Hawaii at home on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
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