SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's basketball is set to make the short drive to San Francisco to take on the rival Dons in their first meeting on the hardwood of 2024. The Broncos will take on San Francisco (19-6, 8-2) on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. PT on the Hilltop. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Chris Sylvester and Dior Lowhorn on the call. Fans can also tune in to Sidearm to catch the audio only call from Anthony Passarelli and Henry Caruso. Both links can be found above.
The Broncos (15-9, 6-3) are looking to put an end to their two-game losing skid. They most recently dropped a home contest to San Diego, 70-59, despite pulling down a season-high tying 51 rebounds. Santa Clara opened the WCC slate 6-1 for the first time since 1994-95 prior to dropping their last two contests. Johnny O'Neil, who is coming off a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Toreros, has been outstanding over the last five games for the Broncos, averaging 16.8 points and 7.8 rebounds.
Despite a rough night from beyond the arc in their last outing against San Diego, Santa Clara continues to lead the WCC and ranks 45th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (36.7). The Broncos also rank third in the league in scoring at 77 points per game.
Ranking just ahead of the SCU in scoring at an average of 79.2 points per game, San Francisco enters Saturday's game on a four-game win streak and are tied for second in the WCC with an 8-2 mark. The Dons, led by second-year head coach Chris Gerlufsen, feature one of the top offenses in the WCC, ranking eighth nationally in shooting percentage (49.6) and 14th in scoring margin (14.2). Jonathan Mogbo has had a fantastic campaign so far, leading the WCC in rebounds (10.6) and ranking fourth in scoring (15.4). He is also the nation's leader in field goal percentage at 68.2 percent.
The Bay Area rivals have met many, many times throughout the years. In a series that dates back to 1909, Santa Clara holds a slim upper hand with a 118-115 advantage all-time. Last season, the Broncos swept the Dons in the regular season, but San Francisco got the better of them in the WCC Tournament Quarterfinal. The sixth-seeded Dons took down the third-seeded Broncos 93-87 in an all-timer that took double overtime to decide a victor. Brandin Podziemski came up one assist shy of a triple-double (22 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast) in the effort.
For more information, check the game notes links above.
