SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Wednesday was Adama-Alpha Bal's day.
 
The Santa Clara University men's basketball senior guard celebrated his birthday in a big way Wednesday night, scoring a season-high 27 points on a career-high-tying six 3-pointers, leading the Broncos to a decisive 94-74 non-conference win over Kennesaw State at the Leavey Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bal scored 16 of his game-leading 27 points in the second half. He went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc as part of an 11-made-3-pointers barrage by the Broncos (7-5). He also tied a season high with four assists.
   
• Tyeree Bryan scored 14 points with two 3-pointers for Santa Clara, Elijah Mahi added 14 with a trey, and Christoph Tilly chipped in 10 with five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. Kennesaw State (7-4) was led by 25 points from Adrian Wooley. Wooley scored 23 of his 25 in the second half on 7-for-9 shooting.
   
• Wednesday's biggest impact number was Kennesaw State's season-high 23 turnovers, and Santa Clara's 31 points scored off those turnovers. The Owls gave it up 12 times in the first half alone, leading to 16 points for the Broncos. They coughed it up 11 more times after halftime for 15 more SCU points.
   
• Santa Clara also won the rebounding battle, 31-28, and had 13 second-chance points off 11 offensive boards.
   
• Both teams struggled to shoot at times during the first half, but both found their rhythm in the second. Kennesaw State shot 33.3% in the first half, but made 63.6% of their shots in the second. Santa Clara followed suit with the hot second half, making 64.3% of their baskets to finish on 50% for the game.
   
• Too many turnovers spelled doom already for Kennesaw State in the first half. The Owls gave up the ball 12 times in the first 20 minutes. Those led directly to 16 points for Santa Clara and a 13-point, 42-29 halftime lead, despite KSU outshooting the Broncos from 3-point range (30.8% to 27.8%) and shooting nearly identical from the floor (33.3% to SCU's 35.7%).
   
• Strong defense out of the gate by Kennesaw State handed it an early lead. The Owls held the Broncos to only one basket in the game's first two minutes on 1-for-5 shooting. But the Santa Clara defense answered right back, forcing KSU to miss nine shots in a row over a four-minute stretch. That allowed the Broncos to find their shooting stroke and go on a 12-2 run and take a 14-8 lead that they would never surrender.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 4: Santa Clara had four players score in double figures Wednesday. It marked the sixth time this season the Broncos had at least four players in double figures.
• 10: Ensminger grabbed 10 rebounds Wednesday to give him 30 in his last three games, a 10.0 per game average.
• 94: The Broncos' 94 points were their second-most this season, only two short of their season-high 96 versus UC Riverside on Nov. 19.
• 560: Wednesday's victory was the 560th of head coach Herb Sendek's career. He's now tied for 55th in all-time wins with Jeff Jones (Virginia, American, Old Dominion)

POSTGAME THOUGHTS

another W at ??

Hear about tonight's win from Coach Sendek??#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/tSK0HAIqDY

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) December 19, 2024

Have a night, @adama_bal

???? ????????????, ??-???? ???????? ??#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/ap6AdGhmiv

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) December 19, 2024

COMING UP

• Santa Clara's end-of-2024 home stand continues Saturday with its final non-conference game of the season. The Broncos host South Dakota at 2 p.m. before breaking for the Christmas holiday. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.