SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's basketball put a cap on non-conference play on Thursday afternoon by picking up one of their best wins of the season. The Broncos took care of business inside the Leavey Center, using a 22-5 second half run to defeat Boise State, 73-58, and conclude non-conference play with a 12-3 record.
The Broncos' 12 wins are tied for the second most non-conference wins in program history and just one shy of the record of 13 set in 2019-20.
Once again, it was the sophomore duo of Carlos Stewart and Brandin Podziemski that handled the bulk of the offensive production. Stewart tallied his fifth game of 20 or more points by shooting 8-of-13 from the floor for a game-high 25 points. The Baton Rouge product was 3-for-6 from downtown and 6-of-7 at the charity stripe. Podziemski finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year. Checking into the game with nation's fourth-most steals on the year, the Illinois transfer added to the total with two more and also had a pair of assists.
Keshawn Justice scored six points to go with four rebounds and five assists, Jaden Bediako pulled down four boards and blocked a pair of shots, and Camaron Tongue turned in a solid 16 minutes of work five rebounds and four points.
The Broncos shot 44.1 percent from the floor (26-of-59) and knocked down 10 treys for the third time this season. The defense clamped down on Boise State's offensive attack, holding them to just 34 percent from the field (21-of-61), including 32.1 percent (9-of-28) in the second half.
Santa Clara also won on the boards with a 41-35 advantage and dished out 13 assists to Boise State's seven.
SCU trailed by two at the half and it would have been by five had it not been for a ridiculous buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Stewart, who finished with 12 points in the opening half. Out of the break, however, it was all Santa Clara as they opened the period with a 7-0 run as part of the larger 22-5 run. The home Broncos led by as much as 19 at the under-eight timeout.
Chibuzo Agbo led Boise State in scoring with 12 points while Tyson Degenhart came just short of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Broncos begin WCC play on Thursday, Dec. 29, against San Francisco inside the Leavey Center.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
Broncos conclude non-conference play 12-3 and head into the break with plenty of momentum. Coach Sendek spoke about the win #StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/VPKyf8qP1x
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) December 23, 2022
After tallying his sixth double-double (18 pts, 10 reb), @brandinpodziem2 also joined the postgame show. #StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/pXlXe7uRDH
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) December 23, 2022
GAME NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 5-1 all-time against Boise State.
- Keshawn Justice was 2-for-6 from 3-point range, giving him 72 career game with multiple treys.
- Justice also moved up a spot on the school's 3-point attempt list, surpassing Bronco Legend Steve Nash for fourth most with 661.
