SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University men's basketball team got back on track in a huge way Tuesday, dominating visiting UC Riverside with an impressive shooting performance that led it to a 96-54 non-conference win at the Leavey Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Santa Clara (2-3) turned on the offense nine minutes into the first half and never looked back. The Broncos shot 58.3 percent from the floor Tuesday, their highest team shooting percentage in more than 2 1/2 years. A huge first-half run gave the Broncos a 22-point halftime lead, and they grew that lead to as many as 42 in the second half in staying unbeaten at home all-time in three tries against UC Riverside (2-3).
   
• 11 different Broncos scored at least two points, with four of them putting up double digits. Christoph Tilly scored a season-high and game-leading 20 points. Tilly also led the Broncos with a season-high five assists to go with five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Adama-Alpha Bal scored 17, his fourth game this season in double figures. Johnny O'Neil hit four 3-pointers after entering the night with only one in the season's first two weeks, pouring in 14 points to go with his game-high seven rebounds. Tyeree Bryan scored 13 on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting performance with five rebounds, two assists and a block.
   
• UC Riverside was led by Joel Armotrading and Rikus Schulte, who both had 11 points. Barrington Hargress scored 10 points and had a game-high seven assists. Armotrading was the Highlanders' top rebounder with six.
   
• A 12-12 tie game midway through the first half quickly turned into a lopsided affair. Santa Clara went on an overwhelming 31-9 run that spanned more than 11 minutes to take a huge, 43-21, lead into halftime. It included a 20-2 stretch over the final seven minutes of the first half that featured eight points from Tilly.
   
• Santa Clara and UC Riverside combined to shoot 6 for 29 (20.7%) through the game's first 8 1/2 minutes. But they both started finding the basket at the same time. The Broncos kicked off an 11-for-20 shooting stretch (55.0%) at the 11:16 mark, while the Highlanders went on a 5-for-7 stretch starting at the 12:02 mark. Santa Clara's offensive display took it all the way to halftime and included six 3-pointers. Slam dunks by Tilly bookended the shooting showcase, as a dunk down the middle of the lane at 11:16 got it started, and another one 74 seconds before the halftime buzzer added a flare.
   
• UC Riverside's problem was its hot shooting performance ended before the Broncos' did. The Highlanders missed seven consecutive shots after their 5-for-7 spurt. They would close the half shooting just 1 for 12 (8.3%). Five different players combined to miss 11 total shots during that span.
   
• The Broncos' hot shooting rolled right into the second half – and actually got even better. Santa Clara shot an outstanding 75% (21 for 28) in the final 20 minutes. It made its first four shots out of the break, starting with back-to-back 3-pointers, and would go 9 for 11 from the field in the second half's first 10 minutes.
   
• Santa Clara closed the game with another 12-2 run, pushing its lead past the 40-point mark. Seven different Broncos scored points in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the game, including an emphatic dunk from Luke McEldon to ice the game.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 1: Elijah Mahi made his first career start as a Bronco, after starting 62 games in two seasons at West Valley College.
• 22: Santa Clara's 22-point halftime lead was its largest since also leading by 22 at the break on Nov. 11, 2023, versus Saint Francis (Pa.). The Broncos are 9-2 over the past two seasons when leading by double digits at halftime (1-1 in 2024-25)

POSTGAME INTERVIEWS:

big time performance for the big man ??

Hear about tonight's dub from Tilly ??#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/YQjkwPiK7o

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) November 20, 2024

HUGE win at Leavey

Hear about tonight's win over UCR from Coach Sendek ??#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/caNHMNypct

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) November 20, 2024

UP NEXT

• The Broncos close out their home stand at 7 p.m. Saturday with a clash against South Bay foe Stanford.