LAS VEGAS - Santa Clara men's basketball used a furious 16-6 run in the final six minutes of action to erase a 15-point deficit against Saint Mary's in the WCC Tournament semifinal, and had two late opportunities inside the final minute, but ultimately were unable to complete the comeback as the No. 17 Gaels escaped with a 75-72 victory. The Broncos conclude the season with a 21-11 overall record and will now play the waiting game to see what lies ahead in the postseason.
The comeback bid began with nine minutes remaining after Saint Mary's Tommy Kuhse knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Gaels on top by 14 at 65-51. The Broncos rattled off an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to five with 5:16 remaining. The teams exchanged buckets for the next five possessions before Santa Clara finally got the break they needed to close the gap. Josip Vrankic scored in the paint and Keshawn Justice knocked down a corner 3-pointer with just 42 seconds on the clock to make it a one-point affair at 73-72.
On the other end of the floor, Jalen Williams made a tremendous defensive play to block and shot that resulted in a turnover. The junior then drove into the paint looking to score the go-ahead bucket with four seconds remaining, but his shot was blocked by Saint Mary's Logan Johnson. The Gaels gained possession and were promptly fouled and sent to the free throw line where Johnson knocked down both attempts to make it 75-72. Williams had one final crack at a tie in the closing seconds, driving to the sideline and offering up a contested prayer at the buzzer, but the ball came just short of finding its mark.
Vrankic and Justice eached finished with 21 points to lead the Broncos in scoring. Vrankic was 8-of-13 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds. Justice knocked down four 3-pointers for the second-consecutive game, finishing 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Williams finished with 15 points and dished out six assits.
Jaden Bediako and Jacob Holt also had big nights from off the bench. Bediako grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds and tied his career-high of five blocks. Holt finished with a career-high seven points and grabbed six rebounds.
Saint Mary's (23-6) showed why they are one of the top defensive teams in the nation, holding the Broncos to just 40.6 percent shooting. Kuhse led the Gaels with 27 points.
The Broncos closed the first half on a 7-0 run to cut what was a 12-point deficit to just five at 39-34. Williams had 11 points at the break to lead all scorers.
NOTES
- The Broncos committed just three turnovers, which is the second-fewest ever in the WCC Tournament. Santa Clara now owns the two lowest turnover games in the history of the WCC Tournament, the first being a one-turnover game against Portland in 2012.
- Josip Vrankic notched his sixth 20-point game of the season
- Keshawn Justice notched his third 20-point game of the season
POSTGAME VIDEO
.@HerbSendek recaps the Broncos' tough loss #StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/zmSv8BqSfm
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) March 8, 2022
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