PARIS – While the scoreboard at the end of the game didn't reflect in Santa Clara's favor, there was a lot for the Broncos to be proud of in their final game of the 2022 foreign tour. For one, they went toe-to-toe with the best team in France and among the best in Europe – Paris Basketball's First Team, who consists of four NBA draft picks and several young prospects with all the makings of NBA futures. Second of all, they were punched in the mouth early on, but still found a way to fight back.
Paris Basketball jumped out to big a lead early on, thanks in part to an 11-of-20 mark from beyond the arc, and led 76-37 at the half. But in perhaps a preview of what to expect from this talented Santa Clara roster, the Broncos fought back and outplayed the older and more experienced professional team in the second half, outscoring them 51-46 over the final two quarters.
The Broncos were 20-for-35 from the floor in the second half and limited Paris Basketball to just 6-of-21 (22 percent) from 3-point range, a vast difference from their red-hot clip in the first half.
Brandin Podziemski, who had a sensational three-game tour with an average of 18.7 points per game, led all scorers for both teams with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including a 3-6 mark from downtown. He was one of five Broncos to reach double figure scoring with Carlos Marshall Jr. scoring 16 points, Christoph Tilly putting up 13 points, and Brenton Knapper and Jaden Bediako both securing 10 points. Bediako also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds for the double-double.
Despite their best efforts, the comeback bid fell short for the Broncos as they suffered their lone defeat of the tour with a final score of 122-88.
The Broncos finished the tour 2-1 with an undefeated mark in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona) before last night's defeat in Paris.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
.@HerbSendek recaps tonight's game ��️#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/iD6eTOM0eL
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) August 28, 2022
ABOUT PARIS BASKETBALL:
Tyrone Wallace was a second-round NBA pick out of Cal in 2016. He played in a total of 114 NBA games. He averaged 21.2 ppg in the G-League last season.
Aamir Simms played in 122 games at Clemson where he averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He played in the G-League last season where he averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 boards pe game.
Kyle Allman was a two-time first team All-Big West selection at Cal State Fullerton.
Ishmael Kamagate was a second round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets.
Juhann Begarin currently plays for the Boston Celtics who first selected him in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Axel Toupane has played sporadically in the NBA over the last few seasons. Most recently, he was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2021 championship season.
