SANTA CLARA, Calif.- The Santa Clara men’s basketball team (8-5) faces the Pepperdine Waves (6-7) in their conference opener on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. tip. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Anthony Passarelli and Henry Caruso on the call. The link can be found above.
The Broncos are coming off their fifth straight win in a 98-81 victory over South Dakota which saw five Santa Clara players score in double figures for the third time this season and first since an overtime loss to North Dakota State (11/13). The Broncos were led by senior guard Adama-Alpha Bal who scored 20 or more points for the second straight game. They scored a season high 98 points, totaling 31 assists which is tied for the third most in school history, 11 more than their second highest total this year. They shot over 50% from the field for the third time this year, and tied a season high 13 3-pointers, hitting 10 in the first half, their ninth game this season hitting 10 or more, going 7-2 in that span.
The Broncos have four players ranked inside the top-30 in the WCC in scoring with Bal leading the way with 13.5 ppg (14th in WCC). Junior guard Elijah Mahi is second on the team with 13.3 ppg (17th in WCC), Christoph Tilly is third on the team with 12.2 ppg (22nd in WCC), and Carlos Stewart Jr. rounds out the pack with 11.4 ppg (27th in WCC). The Broncos rank third in the WCC (74th nationally) with 27.15 bench points per game, and third in the league (67th nationally) in free throw shooting percentage (75.4). The Broncos also rank first in the league and 50th nationally with 9.6 three pointers per game.
Mahi ranks fourth in the WCC in field goal percentage (50.0) and 13th in the league with 61 made field goals. Tilly ranks 12th in the league in free throw percentage shooting 78.6 percent. Bal ranks fourth in the WCC with 2.23 three pointers per game, and third in total three pointers made (29).
Santa Clara has also proven to be among the top rebounding teams in the league, ranking second in the WCC with 12.85 offensive rebounds per game (65th nationally), and third in the league with 38.92 total rebounds per outing (61st nationally). Sophomore forward Jake Ensminger leads the way averaging 6.5 rpg (14th in WCC) and is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game over the last four contests.
The Pepperdine Waves enter WCC play with a 6-7 mark and won four of their last five non conference games. Under the direction of first year head coach Ed Schilling, Pepperdine is averaging 74.8 points per game and ranks top five in the league in field goal percentage defense (41.0). They are also one of the best teams in the league in defensive rebounding, pulling down 28.2 per game to rank third in the WCC and inside the top-35 nationally. Individually, Stefan Todorovic led the WCC in scoring through nonconference play with 19.3 ppg (29th nationally). Moe Odum ranks top 10 nationally with 7.4 steals per game while Boubacar Coulibaly leads the league with 1.85 blocks per outing.
Santa Clara holds an 85-64 lead in the longstanding series against the Waves and have won the last five straight. Last season, the Broncos won 78-72 in Malibu and 94-71 at home.
For more information, click on the game notes link above.
STREAMING INFO
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, and can be accessed here.
Broncos At A Glance…
Birthday Bal Out:
Adama-Alpha Bal had a season high 27 points in his last outing vs. Kennesaw State. The birthday boy tied a career high six three pointers, and tied his season high with four assists. He also added 20 points against South Dakota, his third 20 point game of the season and second straight
Triple Threat:
In Santa Clara’s win over Bradley, Elijah Mahi (23), Christoph Tilly (21) and Carlos Stewart Jr. (20) all topped at least 20 points. It is the first game that SCU has had three players score 20 or more since Dec. 18, 2018 in a double overtime win over USC.
Free Throw Frenzy:
Santa Clara ranks third in the league (67th nationally) in free throw shooting percentage (75.4). The Broncos made a season high 27 free throws against Kennesaw State, and have twice shot above 90 percent, including most recently against McNeese State where they shot a season-best 94.7 percent (18-of-19). They also shot 93.3 percent against UC Riverside (14-of-15).
Three-Point Shooting:
The Broncos rank first in the league and 50th nationally with an average of 9.6 three pointers per game. They have hit 10 or more treys in nine games this year (7-2), have done so in six-straight outings and are coming off their season-high with 13 against Fresno State, 12 against Bradley, 11 against Kennesaw State, and most recently matching a season high 13 against South Dakota.
Balanced Scoring:
The Broncos have four players currently averaging in double figures: Adama-Alpha Bal with 13.5 ppg (14th in WCC), Mahi with 13.3 ppg (17th in WCC), Christoph Tilly with 12.5 ppg (22nd in WCC), and Carlos Stewart Jr. with 11.4 ppg (27th in WCC).
On the Boards:
The Broncos rank second in the WCC with 12.85 offensive rebounds per game (65th nationally), and third in the league with 38.92 total rebounds per outing (61st nationally). Sophomore forward Jake Ensminger leads the way averaging 6.5 rpg (14th in WCC) and is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game over the last four contests.
Stewart Put On a Show:
Carlos Stewart Jr. had an MVP-type performance at the Acrisure Invitational. The Baton Rouge native started the tournament with a then-season high 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting against TCU. He then turned in a new season high with 20 points to go with five rebounds and three steals against Washington. Stewart averaged 19.0 ppg on 63.6 percent shooting with 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game over the two-game tournament. He most recently added 13 points at McNeese State, 18 points vs. Fresno State, and tied a season high 20 points vs. Bradley.
Tilly Time:
Junior center Christoph Tilly leads the team with ten double figure scoring games on the season. He has scored 15 or more on four occasions with a season high 21 against Bradley (12/14). He also leads the team with 13 blocks, averaging one block per contest.
Ensminger Efficiency:
Despite a rough shooting start to the year, Jake Ensminger leads the team in rebounding at 6.5 per game (14th in WCC), and has tied his career high 11 rebounds twice this season: vs. TCU (11/28) and in his first start of the season vs. Fresno State (12/7). He most recently recorded nine rebounds vs. Bradley, 10 vs. Kennesaw State, and 10 vs. South Dakota, averaging 10.0 rebounds per game over the past four contests.
O’Neil Stepping Up:
Senior Johnny O’Neil hasn’t had quite the start offensively that he was hoping for, but the big man from Miami Shores has been a force on defense. He currently is second on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game and is responsible for SCU’s only double-double (10 pts/14 reb vs. North Dakota State). He is second on the team with 11 blocks, a season high five of which came vs. Washington (11/29). He had a breakout game in the last contest against South Dakota tying a season high 15 points, adding a career high six assists.
No Off Days:
Santa Clara’s non-conference strength of schedule is currently ranked 44th nationally out of 364 teams. They have the third-toughest non-conference schedule among WCC teams behind Gonzaga (8th) and San Francisco (38th).
Rising Up in the Ranks:
With the victory over South Dakota, head coach Herb Sendek moved into 55th place at 561 wins all-time, 148 of those coming at Santa Clara, which ranks fourth all-time at SCU.
Mahi Making Moves:
Junior forward Elijah Mahi has started his SCU career with a bang, scoring in double figures in six of the first eight games to open the season. The Toronto product tallied 22 points at Nevada and had 13 points vs. TCU, 19 points against Washington, a career high 23 points in vs. Bradley, and 14 points in his last outing vs. Kennesaw State. Mahi is second on the team in ppg (13.3) which ranks 17th in the WCC.
Sustained success:
The Broncos have won 20 or more games in three consecutive seasons and four if you exclude the 2020-21 covid season.
Bal Back:
After flirting with the NBA Draft, Adama-Alpha Bal decided to return to the Broncos for one last season. The Le Mans, France, product is poised to once again be among the top players in the WCC in 2024-25 after an outstanding showing last year. Bal was a First Team All-WCC and Second Team NABC All-Dis-trict selection after averaging 14.4 ppg (7th best in WCC) in a team-high 31.2 minutes of work. He also ranked ninth in the league with 3.1 assists per game and led the Broncos with nine 20-point games. Bal leads the Broncos in ppg this season (13.5), which ranks 14th in the WCC, and is averaging 2.23 three pointers per game (4th in WCC).
Familiar Faces:
In addition to Bal, who was a First Team All-WCC selection last year, the Broncos brought back six other key rotation pieces. Among them, All-WCC Honorable Mention last season Christoph Tilly, and All-WCC Freshman Team selection sophomore forward Jake Ensminger. In addition, the Broncos return senior forward Johnny O’Neil, senior guard Tyeree Bryan, junior guard Brenton Knapper, and senior forward Camaron Tongue, all key rotation pieces for the Broncos last season. The Broncos returned four of their five starters and 72.8 percent of their scoring from 2023-24.
Added Experience:
The Broncos also bring back senior guard and former Bronco standout Carlos Stewart Jr. As a sophomore at Santa Clara, Stewart Jr. was a First Team All-WCC selection, avg.15.2 ppg. The Broncos also added West Valley College transfer Elijah Mahi, who joins the Broncos after leading West Valley College to an undefeated 33-0 season in 2023-24, capturing the state championship title, and being named California Player of the Year and winning MVP in the state tournament.
Bayou Boys:
Santa Clara has not one, but two Gatorade Louisiana Basketball Player of Year winners on the roster - Stewart (2020-21) and freshman Allen Graves (2023-24).
Preseason Poll:
The Broncos were picked to finish third in the WCC preseason poll, while Bal and Stewart Jr. were named to the Preseason First Team All-WCC.
Career Marks:
Carlos Stewart Jr. tied a career high 5 assists in the season opener against Saint Louis, while Camaron Tongue scored a career high 18 pts. Christoph Tilly made a career high two three pointers in the victory, and Elijah Mahi scored a career high 23 points vs. Bradley. Johnny O’Neil posted a career high 14 rebounds against North Dakota State. Elijah Mahi had a career high 10 rebounds against McNeese State, and Jake Ensiminger tied a career high 11 rebounds twice vs. TCU, and most recently vs. Fresno State. Tyeree Bryan added a career high five steals against the Bulldogs. Most recently, Adama-Alpha Bal tied a career high six three pointers vs. Kennesaw State, and Johnny O’Neil had a career high six assists vs. South Dakota.
Pipeline to the Pros:
There are just five NCAA D1 men’s basketball programs that produced top-20 picks in the 2022 and 2023 NBA Drafts: Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Baylor.....and Santa Clara.
The Broncos have produced back-to-back first round selections in the form of Jalen Williams (12th overall to Oklahoma City in 2022) and Brandin Podziemski (19th overall to Golden State in 2023). Additionally, former Bronco forward Keshawn Justice was signed by the Utah Jazz in October 2023 and is currently a member of the Salt Lake Jazz.
After becoming the first Bronco to hear his name called in the NBA Draft since Steve Nash in 1996, Williams more than lived up to his lottery pick hype, finishing runner-up in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors and was named to the 2023 Rising Stars Challenge. He was even better in year two, averaging 19.1 ppg while starting 71 games and was once again voted to the Rising Stars Challenge.
Podziemski was the first WCC player taken off the board in 2023 and also turned in a fantastic rookie season, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors and being named to the Rising Stars Challenge. Podz became the first Golden State rookie since Stephen Curry (2009-10) to tally 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five or more in a single game, doing so on Dec. 12 against the Phoenix Suns.
Both Williams and Podziemski were also named to the USA Select Team in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
