PALM DESERT, Calif. – Carlos Stewart Jr. and Elijah Mahi combined for 39 points in Santa Clara men's basketball's nonconference contest against Washington in the 2024 Acrisure Invitational Championship Game. The Broncos nearly erased a late double-figure deficit thanks to an 11-1 run that made it a one-possession game inside the final seconds, but ultimately they were unable to complete the comeback, falling to the Huskies 76-69 in a thriller inside Acrisure Arena.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The key of the game was which team was unable to maintain control of the ball. Santa Clara committed 14 turnovers that resulted in 22 Husky points. On the other side, SCU only scored seven points on eight Washington turnovers.
• Johnny O'Neil knocked down two quick 3-balls and Santa Clara took an early 11-7 lead.
• Washington used a 14-1 run to take a nine-point advantage 23-14 before Stewart Jr. knocked down two quick triples to cut back to five just ahead of the under-8 timeout.
• The Huskies quickly regained control and pushed their lead to as much as 12 before Stewart knocked down another trey, his third of the half, just before the halftime buzzer to make it a 42-33 affair.
• The Broncos battled back in the second half, cutting the deficit to five with 7:19 remaining thanks to an 8-0 run, but Washington scored five straight of their own to swing the momentum back to the Huskies' favor.
• Santa Clara made one more run in the final minutes, rattling off nine unanswered as part of an 11-1 run to make it a one possession game at 72-69 with just 11 seconds remaining.
• The Broncos were unable to find final three points they needed in final 10 seconds as Washington knocked down a pair of free throws and put a clamp on the contest with a dunk in the final second.

 NOTABLE NUMBERS:

• Stewart finished with 20 points, besting his previous season high of 18 from the day previous. He also was 6-of-13 from the floor with a 4-for-9 mark from 3-point range to go with three steals and five rebounds.
• Elijah Mahi was right behind Stewart with 19 points and pulled down a season-best seven rebounds to go with three assists.
• O'Neil finished with a season-high five blocks, with three coming in the first eight minutes of the contest.
• The loss was Santa Clara's first this season when shooting better than their opponent (43.9 to 43.5). 

 
 POSTGAME COMMENTS:  
UP NEXT:
The Broncos will hit the road for Lake Charles, La., to take on McNeese State in just their second true road game of the nonconference slate. The game is slated for a 4 p.m. PT tip on Dec. 2.