SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Beware all who enter…
Leavey Center is a tough place to play – and the Santa Clara University men's basketball team is on a roll.
The Broncos fought off two second-half pushes in what, on the box score ended up being a closely contested game, to hold off third-place BYU, win their 11th game at home and beat the Cougars in front of more than 2,400 fans, 83-76.
Assists (12-12), steals (12-11 Santa Clara), blocks (2-2), 3-point percentage (36.0% to 35.3% BYU), seven ties and eight lead changes… a quick look at the stats and one would think Thursday's big West Coast Conference matchup on national TV was about as even as it could get.
But Santa Clara (16-5, 4-2 WCC) turned defense into offense, jumping all over BYU's 19 turnovers to the tune of 24 points. That was especially huge in the first half when it scored 17 off 15 BYU turnovers. The Broncos got out to a 21-8 lead 10 minutes into the game, with 12 of those points coming off BYU giveaways. Santa Clara had seven steals in the first eight minutes of the game. Its 12 total steals on the night are its most since Nov. 5, 2019, when it had 14 against UC Santa Cruz.
The Broncos' offense wasn't too shabby on the night either. Keshawn Justice posted his third consecutive 20-point performance and fifth of the year with a team-high 23 points. He also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Carlos Stewart had his second straight 20-point game and seventh of the year with 21. He swiped a career-high six steals and added three assists and two rebounds. Brandin Podziemski poured in 17 points and secured eight rebounds to narrowly miss a double-double. Santa Clara shot 49.2% on the night, its fourth straight game above 47% from the floor.
Santa Clara also got to the free-throw line Thursday, going 19 for 25 (76.0%). Its 25 free-throw attempts were its fourth-most on the year and most since Dec. 13 versus Portland State, a stretch of nine games.
BYU also had three double-digit scorers. Rudi Williams scored a game-high 24 points off the bench with four assists and three rebounds. Spencer Johnson only missed three shots all night (one two-pointer, one 3-pointer, one free throw) while scoring 17 points. Dallin Hall chipped in 12.
BYU wasn't going to go down without a fight, despite trailing big early. A 9-2 run around the eight-minute mark of the first half turned a 13-point Santa Clara lead into a six-point game, sending the message that it wasn't over that early. After trailing by eight at halftime, BYU stormed out of the gate in the second, starting the period on a 14-4 run that looked to swing the momentum and gave the Cougars a four-point, 40-36 lead.
But back came Santa Clara with its own 7-0 spurt. A 3-pointer from Podziemski and back-to-back layups from Stewart put SCU back up by three. Stewart's last bucket came off yet another BYU turnover. There were eight lead changes in the first 10 1/2 minutes of the second half, and neither team led by more than BYU's four-point lead at 40-36.
Santa Clara finally surged ahead for good with six minutes to play. The Broncos went on a 12-3 run while BYU didn't make a field goal for more than three minutes. Parker Braun iced the game with three dunks in the final 3 1/2 minutes, keeping the noise inside Leavey Center at a raucous high.
The Broncos next face WCC leader Saint Mary's for a rematch on the road in Moraga on Saturday. The game will be televised live on NBC Sports Bay Area. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
Broncos with their second-straight win over BYU and are third in the WCC standings at 4-2. @HerbSendek sat down to recap it with @PassarelliVoice #StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/v6pkws8fHA
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 20, 2023
Everything seemed to be dropping for @carlos_stewart_ tonight.
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 20, 2023
21 pts, 6 steals, 3 assists#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/dIm5T8zlCf
GAME NOTES
- This is the fifth game (second-straight) in which two Broncos have scored 20-or more points. SCU is 5-0 in such games.
- It's only fitting that the top two rebounding teams in the WCC entering the game would finish in a tie on the boards. SCU and BYU both finished with 33 rebounds, including seven offensive for each squad.
- Justice was 4-for-7 from 3-point range - his 77th career game with multiple treys and 24th career game with at least four.
- Justice moved up a spot in the school's career scoring rankings to 16th with 1,467 points.
- Herb Sendek picked up career win No. 526 and is now tied with Dave Bliss and Lou Carnesecca for No. 61 on the all-time wins list.
