SANTA CLARA, Calif.- Santa Clara men’s basketball concludes a two game homestand against Stanford (5-0) on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Anthony Passarelli and Brian Hudson on the call.
The Broncos are coming off a dominating win at home against UC Riverside that saw four players score in double figures. Christoph Tilly led all scorers with a season high 20 points, adding five assists and three blocks, also season highs. Adama-Alpha Bal added 17 points, his third game of the season scoring over 15 points, and Johnny O’Neil had a season high 14 points, adding seven rebounds, his third straight game with six or more rebounds.
The Broncos offensive firepower was on full display over the Highlanders, scoring a season high 96 points, their highest point total since the WCC semifinal game against San Diego last season on March 9, 2024. The Broncos also shot a season high 58.3 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from three.
Coming into the game, the Broncos rank third in the WCC and 83rd nationally in offensive rebounds per game (13.00), and second in the conference and 63rd nationally in bench points per game (32.00). In addition, Adama-Alpha Bal ranks 11th in the WCC in scoring with 15.4 points per game, and Christoph Tilly is third in the conference, shooting 62.5 percent from the field.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Kyle Smith, the Stanford Cardinal are undefeated to open the season with a perfect 5-0 record entering Saturday’s game. Senior center Maxime Raynaud has had an outstanding start to his final year on the Farm, tallying a double-double in each of the Cardinal’s five contests. The Frenchmen was one of five honorees for the USBWA National Player of the Week for Nov. 18 after averaging 27.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in wins over Northern Arizona and UC Davis. He is currently averaging 21 points and 12.2 rebounds to lead the Cardinal, while Jaylen Blakes and Oziyah Sellers are averaging 15.6 and 13.2 ppg, respectively. Stanford’s most recent outing was a 70-63 victory over Norfolk State on Wednesday. Saturday’s game against the Broncos will be their first game away from home this season.
Stanford leads the all-time series with SCU 52-28, however it has been the Broncos that have had the upperhand in recent years. SCU has won the last two meetings, including an 89-77 victory in Palo Alto last season, and are 4-3 against the Cardinal since 2004.
Last time against the Cardinal, Adama-Alpha Bal had his coming out party with 23 points and six rebounds while Johnny O’Neil pulled down eight boards to go with 17 points, for the Broncos first win inside Maples Pavilion since Dec. 16, 2006, the first of three wins the Broncos would tally against Pac-12 foes during the 2023-24 season.
Santa Clara is looking to extend their win streak against the Cardinal to three straight, which would tie for their longest streak in the series since Dec. 19, 1981 through Dec. 1, 1987 when SCU also won three-straight.
For more information, click on the game notes link above.
STREAMING INFO
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be accessed here.
Broncos At A Glance…
Home Sweet Home: The Broncos will be playing their third game from the comfort of home - a place where they have seen some outstanding success in recent history. Since 2019-20, Santa Clara has won 74.1 percent (60-21) of their games inside the Leavey Center.
Three Headed Threat: Three Broncos currently rank inside the top-25 in scoring in the WCC. Adama-Alpha Bal (15.4) ranks 11th, Elijah Mahi (13.8) is tied for 20th and Christoph Tilly (12.8) ranks 23rd after five games of action.
Leading Big Leads to Good Things: Santa Clara’s 22 point lead at the half against UC Riverside was their 11th double figure halftime lead over the last two seasons. The Broncos are 9-2 in such games (1-1 this season).
Tilly Time: Christoph Tilly had a career night against UC Riverside, scoring a season high 20 points, adding five assists and three blocks, also season highs. Tilly has scored in double figures in four of five games this season, shooting 62.5 percent from the field, which ranks third in the WCC and 67th nationally.
On the Boards: Santa Clara ranks third in the WCC and 83rd nationally in offensive rebounds per game (13.00). Johnny O’Neil and Camaron Tongue (2.20 per game) lead the way individually, tied for 10th in the WCC.
Band of Thieves: ??Santa Clara ranks fifth in the league with 8.2 steals per game. Carlos Stewart Jr. leads the way with eight steals through five games (1.60 average), which ranks sixth in the WCC.
Hot Start for Mahi: Junior forward Elijah Mahi has started his SCU career with a bang, scoring in double figures in four of the first five 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, and was a major bright spot on the road against Nevada, scoring a career-best 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Mahi currently ranks sixth in the league and is 126th nationally in field goal percentage (57.1).
Sustained success: The Broncos have won 20 or more games in three consecutive seasons and four if you exclude the 2020-21 covid season.
Bal Back: After flirting with the NBA Draft, Adama-Alpha Bal decided to return to the Broncos for one last season. The Le Mans, France, product is poised to once again be among the top players in the WCC in 2024-25 after an outstanding showing last year. Bal was a First Team All-WCC and Second Team NABC All-Dis-trict selection after averaging 14.4 ppg (7th best in WCC) in a team-high 31.2 minutes of work. He also ranked ninth in the league with 3.1 assists per game and led the Broncos with nine 20-point games. Through five games this season, Bal leads the team in scoring with 15.4 ppg, which ranks 11th in the WCC and 262nd nationally.
Familiar Faces: In addition to Bal, who was a First Team All-WCC selection last year, the Broncos brought back six other key rotation pieces. Among them, All-WCC Honorable Mention last season Christoph Tilly, and All-WCC Freshman Team selection sophomore forward Jake Ensminger. In addition, the Broncos return senior forward Johnny O’Neil, senior guard Tyeree Bryan, junior guard Brenton Knapper, and senior forward Camaron Tongue, all key rotation pieces for the Broncos last season. The Broncos returned four of their five starters and 72.8 percent of their scoring from 2023-24.
Added Experience: The Broncos also bring back senior guard and former Bronco standout 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 22 pts against Nevada. Johnny O’Neil posted a career high 14 rebounds against North Dakota State.
