SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A game that was about to be lost on missed free throws … ended up being won off a missed free throw.
 
The Santa Clara University men's basketball team grabbed an offensive rebound off a potential game-tying free throw, missed a go-ahead 3-pointer and tipped in a game-winning layup, then survived a last-second desperation shot – all in the last 10 seconds of overtime – to defeat Oregon State, 82-81, in a West Coast Conference game at the Leavey Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Santa Clara (11-6, 3-1 WCC) had already missed two game-tying free throws in overtime and four overall in that final five-minute period. But they were still given one last chance to redeem themselves at the charity stripe. Adama-Alpha Bal brought the ball up the court with 16 seconds left, pulled up to the 3-point line and shot a game-tying 3-pointer. His shot missed, but he was fouled coming back down with 10 seconds on the clock and he went to the line for three potential game-tying free throws.
   
• The senior guard made each of his first two free throws to make it a one-point game at 81-80, took a deep breath, and Oregon State (12-5, 2-2 WCC) called a timeout to "ice" him. The Beavers' strategy worked, as Bal missed his third – the Broncos' 14th missed free throw of the game. The rebound bounced hard out to the left, though, where Bal was able to grab his own miss, giving the Broncos yet another last chance.
   
• Christoph Tilly, who has shot 42.9% from deep this season, attempted a go-ahead 3-pointer but missed. And there was Tyeree Bryan on the weak side. Bryan was able to grab the offensive rebound through heavy traffic, leaping up and tipping it off the glass. The ball fell through the net to put Santa Clara up by one, 82-81, with 3.6 seconds left.
   
• Santa Clara called its final timeout to set up its defense. They tried to double and trap OSU's Josiah Lake II at the 3/4-court mark, but he dribbled past the defense and found some open space across the half-court line. Lake heaved up a shot, but it bounced off the back iron and the buzzer sounded, sealing the Broncos' victory.
   
• Elijah Mahi led Santa Clara with 21 points and a season-high five assists. Bal finished with 19 points, four rebounds and an assist, and Carlos Stewart added 10 points. Parsa Fallah scored a game-high 24 points for Oregon State and had seven rebounds, an assist and a steal. Michael Rataj had a double-double with 16 and a game-high 10 rebounds, Isaiah Sy poured in 12, and Damarco Minor chipped in 11.
   
• Santa Clara entered Thursday's game shooting 74.3% from the free-throw line, fourth-best in the WCC and a top-100 mark in the nation. But the Broncos struggled for 45 minutes, missing 14 freebies on the night and only shooting 48.1%. It was their most misses since missing 15 free throws on Nov. 9, 2018 versus Prairie View A&M. That allowed Oregon State to keep coming back.
   
• The teams traded 12-2 runs in the second half, with the Broncos going on one at the 14:22 mark and the Beavers taking off on theirs only 95 seconds after SCU's run ended. Those two scoring stretches kept the game at a two-point Santa Clara lead, 62-60, with just over seven minutes to play. Only once after that did either team lead by more than three points– a four-point Santa Clara advantage with 3:46 to play – as the game worked its way towards overtime. The Broncos went 0 for 5 with a turnover, and Oregon State went 1 for 3 with two turnovers in the final three minutes of regulation.
   
• Oregon State didn't let the Broncos get away easily in the first half. Santa Clara got hot early with a 15-0 run and still led by 10 with 4 1/2 minutes to go before halftime. The Beavers answered with their own 12-2 run in the first half's closing minutes to send the game into halftime at a 32-32 tie. Parsa Fallah scored six of OSU's points during that final push. Santa Clara missed each of its last four shots and missed a free throw in the period's final 2 1/2 minutes.
   
• The two teams tested each other for the first two minutes of the game, working methodically on each possession and trading baskets. But Santa Clara's early 15-0 run jump-started the game's action after the first media timeout. Santa Clara couldn't miss for 3 1/2 minutes, putting it up by 12 at 19-7. The Broncos were a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor during that stretch with four free throws to boot. Elijah Mahi scored six of SCU's 15 points during the run, Cameron Tongue added four, and Carlos Stewart hit a 3-pointer.
   
• Oregon State went 0 for 7 from the field during Santa Clara's early 15-0 run and turned the ball over twice. The Broncos' first nine points of the run finally forced a timeout from Oregon State, trying to stop the momentum and regroup. It had little effect, as the Broncos came back out and scored six more unanswered points while making the Beavers miss five additional shots before finally breaking their near-five-minute scoring drought with a bucket at the 11:24 mark to make it 19-9.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 21: Elijah Mahi's 21 points Thursday marked his third 20-point game this season and ninth double-digit performance.
• 48.1%: The Broncos' sub-50% free-throw percentage Thursday was their lowest since shooting 36.4% versus LMU on Feb. 22, 2024, last season.

POSTGAME COMMENTS
COMING UP

• Santa Clara hosts a rematch at 4 p.m. Saturday versus rival San Francisco. The Dons edged the Broncos in their first meeting, 97-94, in overtime only a week and a half ago in The City.