RENO, Nev.- Santa Clara men’s basketball hits the road for a matchup with Nevada (3-0) on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on Mountain West Network while Anthony Passarelli will have the audio only call live on Sidearm Streaming. Both links can be found above.
The Broncos are coming off a tough overtime loss to North Dakota State in their home opener. Senior forward Johnny O’Neil pulled down a career high 14 rebounds and added 10 points for his first double-double of the year while junior forward Elijah Mahi scored 16 points for his third straight double-figure scoring effort to open his career. Senior guard Adama-Alpha Bal scored 18 points to lead SCU in scoring while Tyeree Bryan (15) and Christoph Tilly (10) also reached double figures.
Heading into the back end of the second week of action, the Broncos rank second in the WCC with 9.3 steals per game with senior guard Carlos Stewart Jr., leading the way with eight total steals (also second-most in the conference individually). The Broncos also rank second in the conference with 28.33 bench points per game and 13.67 offensive rebounds per game. Santa Clara leads the conference in fewest turnovers committed (9.3) and has forced the second-most in the league defensively (15.67).
Nevada is 3-0 to start the season and boasts wins over Sam Houston (91-75) and Washington (63-53). Led by Steve Alford in his sixth season in Reno, the Wolf Pack leads the nation in 3-point shooting at 49.1 percent and is 23rd nationally in field goal percentage defense (34.7). Kobe Sanders (19.3) and Nick Davidson (18.0) both rank inside the top 10 in the Mountain West in scoring.
Santa Clara and Nevada are no strangers to one another. The Broncos hold a 35-29 lead in the series and won 96-74 in their last meeting on Nov. 16, 2021 inside the Leavey Center. They trailed by three at the half but flipped the switch in the second half by shooting 58 percent in the final 20 minutes to run away with the victory, which broke a five-game losing skid to the Wolf Pack. Parker Braun had 19 points while future pros Jalen Williams and Keshawn Justice logged 18 points apiece.
Despite having the upperhand in the all-time series, Santa Clara has historically not fared as well in Reno. The Broncos are 12-20 in road games and have lost the last four meetings inside the Lawlor Events Center. SCU’s last win there came on Jan. 8, 2000
For more information, click on the game notes link above.
STREAMING INFO
The game will be streamed on Mountain West Network and can be accessed here.
Broncos At A Glance…
Lethal Duo: Adama-Alpha Bal and Elijah Mahi each rank inside the top 15 in the WCC in scoring through three games. Bal ranks fourth at 18 ppg while Mahi is 13th at 15 ppg.
On the Boards: Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC and 66th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (13.7). Johnny O’Neil and Camaron Tongue lead the way individually with 3.00 per game, which ranks seventh in the WCC.
Band of Thieves: Santa Clara also ranks second in the league with 9.3 steals per game. Carlos Stewart Jr. has been the leader of the pack with eight steals through three games (2.67 average). Both marks rank second-best in the WCC.
Hot Start for Mahi: Junior forward Elijah Mahi has started his SCU career with a bang, scoring in double figures in all three games to open the season. The Toronto product opened with 10 points against Saint Louis and followed with a team-best 19 points (8-15 FG) in 28 minutes vs. Arizona State. He most recently tallied 16 points in the loss against North Dakota State.
Sustained success: The Broncos have won 20 or more games in three consecutive seasons and four if you exclude the 2020-21 covid season.
Familiar Faces: The Broncos returned four of five starters from last season, highlighted by senior guard Adama-Alpha Bal, who was a First Team All-WCC selection last year, and All-WCC Honorable Mention junior center Christoph Tilly. Jake Ensminger was a member of the WCC’s All-Freshman Team last season as well.
Added Experience: The Broncos bring back senior guard and former Bronco Carlos Stewart Jr. As a sophomore at Santa Clara, Stewart Jr. was a First Team All-WCC selection, avg.15.2 ppg. The Broncos also added West Valley College transfer Elijah Mahi, who joins the Broncos after leading West Valley College to an undefeated 33-0 season in 2023-24, capturing the state championship title, and being named California Player of the Year and winning MVP in the state tournament.
Louisiana Ties: Santa Clara has not one, but two Gatorade Louisiana Basketball Player of
Year winners on the roster - Stewart (2020-21) and freshman Allen Graves (2023-24).
Preseason Poll: The Broncos were picked to finish third in the WCC preseason poll, while Bal and Stewart Jr. were named to the Preseason First Team All-WCC.
Career Marks: Carlos Stewart Jr. tied a career high 5 assists in the season opener against Saint Louis, while Camaron Tongue scored a career high 18 pts. Christoph Tilly made a career high two three pointers in the victory, and Elijah Mahi scored a career high 19 pts against Arizona State. Johnny O’Neil posted a career high 14 rebounds against North Dakota State.
Double Digits: Three Broncos have scored double figures in the first three games this season: Bal, Tilly, and newcomer junior forward Elijah Mahi, who has scored in double figures in his first three games as a Bronco.
