SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's basketball used a monster 28-0 run that spanned nine minutes in the second half to run away with an 81-59 victory over Pacific on Monday evening inside the Leavey Center.
It was a tale of two halves for the Broncos, who improved to 4-3 in WCC play and 14-8 overall with the victory. Santa Clara started the night with a cold shooting performance in the opening 20 minutes, shooting just 35.7 percent for the half (10-of-28). Giordan Williams was responsible for three of those field goals for a team-high eight points at the break as the Broncos went into the locker room trailing 34-29.
Fortunately for Santa Clara, the first half woes were completely shaken off as the Broncos came out firing on all cylinders. Keshawn Justice knocked down an early 3-pointer out of the gate to cut the deficit back down to 34-32, however the Tigers scored four unanswered to push the lead back to six. That's the moment that Santa Clara shifted into high gear and never looked back as they dominated on both ends of the court for a 28-0 run that pushed the lead to 60-38 with 9:32 remaining. The Broncos' lead increased to as much as 29 with under two minutes to play.
Santa Clara shot a blistering 66.7 percent clip in the second half (16-of-24) and was 7-of-11 from 3-point range (63.6 percent). On the defensive end, the Broncos clamped down on Pacific, allowing just eight field goals in the half (8-of-35).
The Broncos had four players score 14 or more in the victory with Josip Vrankic finishing with a game-high 20 points with five rebounds and three assists. Justice scored 16 to go with 10 rebounds for his WCC-leading seventh double-double of the season. Giordan Williams and Carlos Stewart both came off the bench to finish with 14 points apiece.
Santa Clara dished out 19 assists and won the rebounding battle 41-31.
Pacific (6-14, 1-5) was led offensively by 19 points from Khaleb Wilson-Rouse and Jeremiah Bailey. The Tigers were held to just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor (22-of-66).
NOTES
- The Broncos tallied 10 3-pointers for their fourth game this season with 10 or more from downtown.
- Josip Vrankic's 20 points give him four 20-point games this year and 21 for his career.
- Santa Clara has had four or more score in double figures in 15 games.
POSTGAME VIDEO
.@HerbSendek shares his thoughts on the Broncos' victory#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/Ff08YA47jx
— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) February 1, 2022
NEXT UP
- The Broncos host LMU on Thursday, Feb. 3, for a 6:00 p.m. tip. The game will be broadcast on Watch Stadium.
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