SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A late run that included a go-ahead jumper with only 2.1 seconds left helped visiting Stanford overcome a double-digit deficit and escape the Leavey Center Saturday with a 71-69 win over the Santa Clara University men's basketball team in a non-conference matchup.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Santa Clara (2-4) led Stanford (6-0) by 10 at halftime (37-27) and held multiple eight-point leads in the second half. But the Cardinal just wouldn't go away. Oziyah Sellers got Stanford's final push started with his own personal 8-0 run. Sellers hit two 3-pointers and sandwiched a fast break dunk in between to tie the game at 67-67 with only 69 seconds left.
   
• The Broncos made one of two free throws on the other end to go back ahead 68-67 with 52 seconds left, giving Stanford a chance to take its first lead since the 15:19 mark. Maxime Raynaud did just that with a layup, two of his game-leading 32 points, making it 69-68. Santa Clara had two opportunities in the game's final 20 seconds to go back ahead, but it missed a layup and missed another free throw, leaving the game tied at 69-69.
   
• That set up the game-winning shot for Stanford's Jaylen Blakes, who dribbled the ball end-to-end with only eight seconds left. He drove into the paint on the right side, but then backed out and put up a fadeaway jumper with a hand in his face… which swished through the net to give the Cardinal its 71-69 advantage. Santa Clara attempted a long throw-in with 2.1 seconds left, but it was tipped, the time ran out and the buzzer sounded.
   
• Christoph Tilly was Santa Clara's leading scorer for the second consecutive game with 16 points. Carlos Stewart scored 11 and Adama-Alpha Bal chipped in 10. Bal and Elijah Mahi both had a team-leading five rebounds, while Brenton Knapper guided the offense with four assists.
   
• Raynaud was one point and one rebound shy of tying career highs with 32 and 16. Sellers scored 23 points with three 3-pointers. Blakes led the Cardinal with a career-high 10 assists.
   
• Stanford came right out of the gate firing in the second half to erase the Broncos' 10-point lead. It went on a go-ahead, 12-0 run, making five of nine shots. And it got four offensive rebounds on each of those four misses to keep the run going.
   
• The game became a see-saw battle from there. Three tie scores and two lead changes occurred in just the first 4:15 of the second half. It was made free throws that helped Santa Clara gain an advantage in the first half, but it became Stanford's missed free throws that helped it in the second. Raynaud's flurry slowed down in the second when the Broncos started sending him to the line. He struggled there, missing both chances at the 16:04 mark and missing another one 45 seconds later. That allowed the Broncos to go back ahead by one on a Kosy Akametu jumper, a lead they didn't relinquish for the next 14 1/2 minutes of game time.
   
• Santa Clara got its first double-digit lead right before halftime thanks to consecutive free throws from Johnny O'Neil. Both teams shot below 40% in the first half, but the Broncos made good at the charity stripe, sinking 12 free throws before the break (85.7%). Santa Clara also dominated the glass in the game's first 20 minutes, outrebounding the Cardinal, 25-17.
   
• Christoph Tilly made the Broncos' first two baskets of the game, helping them get out to an early 6-0 lead. Santa Clara would hold a multi-possession lead for most of the first half. Stanford only pulled to within a basket on two occasions – off a Raynaud 3-pointer 4 1/2 minutes into the game that cut SCU's lead to three, and off a Raynaud fastbreak layup 2 1/2 minutes later to make it a two-point game at 13-11.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 11: 11 different Broncos scored at least two points and 12 had at least one rebound. It was the second game in a row 11 different Broncos scored points after also having 11 on Tuesday versus UC Riverside.
• 39: Santa Clara won the rebounding battle over Stanford, 39-36. It was the second-most rebounds in a game this season for the Broncos behind only their 45 Tuesday versus UC Riverside.

UP NEXT

• Santa Clara travels to Palm Desert on Thanksgiving Weekend for the 2024 Acrisure Invitational. The Broncos face TCU at 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day Thursday, then face either Colorado State or Washington on Friday. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.