SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Behind 21 points from PJ Pipes and a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists from Jalen Williams, Santa Clara men's basketball picked up one of the biggest wins of the Herb Sendek era as they knocked off No. 22 Saint Mary's, 77-72, on Tuesday evening in front of a national television audience inside the Leavey Center.
The Broncos broke a 43-game losing streak to ranked opponents, recording their first such victory over an Associated Press Top-25 program since November 19, 2004, a 77-66 win over No. 4 North Carolina.
Santa Clara (17-8, 7-3) has now won four-straight conference games, their longest winning streak in WCC play since a five-game streak in 2012-13. The Broncos have also won six of their last seven dating back to a 78-74 overtime win over San Diego on January 24.
The Broncos played well in both halves, taking a 35-34 lead into the locker room. After the Gaels took a lead just under five minutes to play, Pipes began to find his mark as he tallied seven points inside the final 3:33 to help Santa Clara build a four-point lead. Saint Mary's Tommy Kuhse hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to cut the deficit to one at the break.
The Gaels would regain the lead for one last time on their first possession of the second half, but it was all Broncos from there as they grabbed the lead on a Pipes 3-pointer and never let it go. Santa Clara led by as much as 12 with 10 minutes to play before Saint Mary's was able to chip into the deficit. That deficit was cut to as little as three points at 73-70 with just :38 seconds remaining. However, all the Broncos needed to do to hold on was take care of business at the free throw line, and they did just that with Williams and Keshawn Justice going a combined 5-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the win.
Pipes finished 5-of-8 from 3-point range for a game-high 21 points while Williams' double-double was just the second of his career. Josip Vrankic also delivered an outstanding 29 minutes worth of work with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds.
Santa Clara, who checked into the game as the nation's 10th best shooting team at 48.9 percent, continued that trend by converting on 55.4 percent from the floor. The Broncos dished out 18 assists and grabbed 32 rebounds to the Gaels' 30.
Saint Mary's (19-5, 7-2) was held to 43.3 percent from the floor, but did finish the night with eight 3-pointers on 19 attempts. Kuhse led the Gaels with 16 points.
POSTGAME VIDEO
Game-high scorer @pipes_pj talks about Tuesday night's streak-busting win over rival St. Mary's, the Broncos' first ranked win in more than 17 years #StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/xJJVgFkUzT
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) February 9, 2022
Postgame thoughts of @JdubPSCEO after Tuesday's thrilling 77-72 win over No. 22 St. Mary's#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/rviCjiNiZV
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) February 9, 2022
Here's Coach @HerbSendek after Tuesday night's 77-72 upset of 22nd-ranked St. Mary's#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/fpn8qc4cFZ
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) February 9, 2022
NEXT UP
- The Broncos have another very good opponent on the docket in the form of San Francisco. Santa Clara will host the Dons for a 3:00 p.m. tip on Saturday.
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
• Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat
• Men's Basketball: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Snapchat
