LOGAN, Utah – Senior forward Parker Braun scored a season-high 14 points as one of three Broncos to score in double digits, but it wasn't enough to keep Santa Clara men's basketball from dropping their first game of the season. The Broncos were unable to keep up with a hot-shooting Utah State team as the Aggies picked up the 96-74 home victory at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Utah State (3-0) dealt a big blow in the opening 20 minutes thanks to some solid shooting from beyond the arc. Things were tight early on with the Broncos holding a slim 17-16 lead at the under-12 media timeout. That lead quickly disappeared and SCU wouldn't hold it again for the rest of the night, as the Aggies tacked on by using a lighting-quick 11-2 run that lasted just over two minutes to build a 36-25 advantage.
The Broncos followed with a mini 5-0 run of their own to cut that deficit back to six, but the Utah State knocked down back-to-back triples on their next two possessions to tighten their grip on the lead. With the Aggies leading by 10 with just under three minutes to play, Brandin Podziemski knocked down a critical 3-pointer in the corner to make it a single-digit deficit, however the Aggies had one more run in them, 6-1, that they used to take a 50-36 lead into the locker room.
The Aggies knocked down eight 3-pointers in the first half (8-of-20) with Taylor Funk and Rylan Jones each scoring three.
Santa Clara (2-1) came out for the second half looking to chip back into the deficit, but Utah State continued to hit shots at a high clip, knocking down 56.7 percent from the floor in the period to keep the Broncos at bay. SCU chipped the lead down to as little as 14 points midway through the half, but that was as close as they would get as Utah State was able to feed off their raucous crowd to hold on for the convincing win.
Braun finished 6-of-8 from the floor and pulled down five rebounds. He also knocked down two 3-pointers on four attempts. Podziemski scored 12 points with two triples and Carlos Marshall, Jr. finished with 10 points. Jaden Bediako added nine points and Jacob Holt chipped in seven points off the bench. Christoph Tilly pulled down a career-best six rebounds while Carlos Stewart led the team with four assists.
Funk finished with 22 points to lead all scorers. The Aggies finished with a 51.4 percent shooting clip (36-of-70) and hit 12 3-pointers in the win.
Santa Clara shot 40.0 percent and was 7of-22 from beyond the arc. They were edged out on rebounds, 41-36, and committed 13 turnovers against nine forced.
The Broncos are back in action next weekend for the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship in Nassau. Santa Clara will open the tournament against DePaul on Friday, Nov. 18.
GAME NOTES
- Kosy Akametu scored the first points of his collegiate career (four points on 4-4 FT attempts)
- The Broncos are now 3-7 all-time against the Aggies.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
.@HerbSendek recaps tonight's game#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/BIUHFDsj0g
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) November 15, 2022
