SANTA CLARA, Calif. — T'was the season Saturday for offensive excellence and winning streaks, as the Santa Clara University men's basketball team won its fifth consecutive game with a season-high 98 points and five players scoring in double figures, as the Broncos soured visiting South Dakota's holiday in a 98-81 non-conference win at Leavey Center.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was the third time this season Santa Clara (8-5) had five or more double-digit scorers in a game. Adama-Alpha Bal led the way with his second straight 20-point performance, scoring 20 with four 3-pointers to go with five rebounds and five assists. Tyeree Bryan logged his fifth consecutive double-digit scoring game with 16 points, Johnny O'Neil scored a season-high 15, Christoph Tilly chipped in 11, and Brenton Knapper scored a season-high 10 alongside five assists, a rebound and a steal.
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- Santa Clara's 98 points were the most its scored since hanging 104 on San Diego at the West Coast Conference Tournament last season on March 9, 2024. The Broncos shot 52.7% from the field – second only to their 58.3% display versus UC Riverside on Nov. 19, and second game in a row shooting at least 50% (also shot 50% versus Kennesaw State on Wednesday). Santa Clara tied a season high with 13 3-pointers. Seven different Broncos made at least one trey.
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- South Dakota (9-6) also had five double-digit scorers, led by Kaleb Stewart's 15. Cameron Fens led the Coyotes with eight rebounds. Max Burchill directed the offense with a team-high five assists.
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- The Broncos put on an offensive clinic in the first half, and it was accentuated by their 3-point shooting. Santa Clara hit 10 3-pointers in the game's first 20 minutes – equaling or surpassing their entire game total from seven other contests in 2024-25. It shot 50% (10 for 20) from deep and 60.5% from the field. Nine different Broncos saw playing time in the first half, and each one scored three or more points. Eight of them had at least one rebound and eight had at least one assist.
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- An 8-0 run five minutes into the game turned a four-point contest into a 12-point lead for Santa Clara at 21-9. South Dakota whittled its deficit down to six, but Santa Clara responded by going up double digits for good with a 23-7 stretch that made it 55-33.
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- Santa Clara also doubled up the Coyotes on the glass, outrebounding them, 24-12, in the first half. That included eight offensive rebounds that led to seven second-chance points, and a 16-8 advantage on the defensive boards. The Broncos would finish with 46 rebounds, their second-most in a game this season.
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- Jake Ensminger pulled down double-digit rebounds for the third time in his last four games with 10. He grabbed the game's first board off a miss from USD's Kaleb Stewart following the opening tip, then went the length of the floor and scored the afternoon's first points with a layup. The Coyotes tied the game once at 2-2, but Santa Clara never trailed Saturday.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 5: Santa Clara's five-game winning streak is its longest since opening the 2023-24 season 6-0 from Nov. 8-24.
- 12: Bal's 20 points gave him three 20-point games this season, his second in a row, and 12th of his Santa Clara career.
- 38.2%: The Broncos shot 38.2% from 3-point range Saturday. It marked their sixth-best shooting performance from deep.
POSTGAMEÂ COMMENTS
COMING UP
- Santa Clara wraps its three-game home stand at 4 p.m. Saturday with its West Coast Conference opener versus Pepperdine. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
