HENDERSON, Nev. - Santa Clara men's basketball junior Elijah Mahi scored a career-high 19 points and senior Carlos Stewart Jr. returned to form to the tune of 17 points, five steals and five rebounds, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Broncos' first setback of the season as they fell to Arizona State, 81-74, at Lee's Family Forum in the Las Vegas Hoopfest. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Broncos (1-1, 0-0) got off to a quick start as Adama-Alpha Bal scored five of the first seven points, putting them ahead 7-3. However, a 19-5 run for the Sun Devils put them ahead 22-12.
• A free throw from Stewart capped off a 16-4 Broncos run to give them a 28-26 lead with three minutes left in the first half. Stewart then dazzled the crowd with a quick steal and a dunk off the fastbreak to put the Broncos up 32-28, forcing an Arizona State timeout.
• The Broncos led 34-31 with 1:28 left in the first half, but the Sun Devils (2-0, 0-0) ended the half on a 5-0 run to take a 36-34 lead heading into the break.
• Stewart knocked down back-to-back triples early in the second half to cap an 8-2 run that allowed SCU to regain the lead at 42-40. The Sun Devils responded and regained the lead, but the momentum shifted right back in Santa Clara's favor after Brenton Knapper knocked down a jumper to put them back ahead 52-51. Arizona State responded with a 7-2 rally of their own to regain a two-possession lead at 58-54 at the under-eight timeout. 
• Jake Ensminger buried a trey to cut the deficit to 61-59, but another five point spurt by Arizona State pushed them ahead 66-59. The Broncos had a great response as they rattled off a 10-2 run punctuated by two free throws by Camaron Tongue to regain the lead outright at 69-68 with 3:34 to play. 
• Unfortunately, that was the last lead SCU would hold as the Sun Devils turned to the 3-ball once again to regain the lead and push it 75-69 off a 7-0 run. BJ Freeman, Arizona State's leading scorer at 17 points, delivered the dagger with yet another trey, the team's 15th of the night, with 48 seconds remaining. The Sun Devils closed the game on a 13-5 run as they improved to 2-0 on the young season.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Mahi and Stewart were two of four Broncos that finished in double figures. Bal chipped in 12 points while Tilly turned in 10 points, all in the second half. 
• Stewart's five steals are the most by a Bronco since...Carlos Stewart Jr. on February 9th, 2023 against San Diego.
• Mahi came away with three steals of his own to go with four assists. He finished the night 8-of-15 from the field and 2-for-5 from 3-point range. 
• Ensminger led the Broncos with eight rebounds while Tilly chipped in seven boards. 
• Santa Clara shot 40.9 percent from the field and knocked down 10 3-pointers while Arizona State shot the ball at a 46.9 percent clip and was 15-of-36 from beyond the arc (41.7). 
• The Broncos are now 2-6 all time vs. Arizona State.

POSTGAME COMMENTS:
UP NEXT: The Broncos return to the Leavey Center for their home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. against North Dakota State.