SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Fresh off of an 83-53 victory in the season opener, Santa Clara men's basketball is looking to improve to 2-0 as they get ready to host McNeese State (1-0) for a 7:00 p.m. tip inside the Leavey Center on Friday, Nov. 7th. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Anthony Passarelli and Brian Hudson on the call.
THE OPPONENT
McNeese State enters Friday’s contest 1-0 after a 127-65 blowout in their opener against Champion Christian College. Led by first-year head coach Bill Armstrong, the Cowboys are making their first-ever trip to the Leavey Center in what will serve as the back half of a home-and-home series that began last season. Santa Clara handed McNeese their only home loss last season when they pulled ahead late for a 74-67 victory in what was the first-ever meeting between the programs.
The Cowboys return leading scorer and 2025 Southland Conference Player of the Year Javohn Garcia, but it was four-star freshman Larry Johnson that stole the show in their opener with 30 points in just 18 minutes in his collegiate debut.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE COWBOYS
Santa Clara put an end to McNeese’s 20-game home win streak when the teams met on Dec. 7, 2024 in Lake Charles. Tyeree Bryan came off the bench to score 17 and lead all scorers while Elijah Mahi pulled down 10 rebounds to help secure the victory. A key factor in SCU’s success was their efficiency at the free throw line where they knocked down 18-of-19 attempts (94.7) including a couple late in the contest to put things to rest.
LAST TIME OUT
Santa Clara extended their win streak in season-openers to seven after a balanced offensive attack led to an 83-53 victory over Cal Poly Humboldt. Elijah Mahi was one of four Broncos that scored in double figures, finishing with 14 points while Thierry Darlan and Christian Hammond logged 13 points apiece and Jake Ensminger poured in 12 more. Darlan also pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds. Darlan was one of five newcomers to make their SCU Debuts in the victory joining redshirt freshman Allen Graves (7 pts, 4 reb), Sash Gavalyugov (8 pts, 3 ast), Francis Chukwudebelu (7 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and walk-on Juan Reyna (2 reb).
DAZZLING DEBUT
Theirry Darlan wasted no time in making his mark in a Bronco Uniform, finishing with 13 points (3-7 3PT), 13 rebounds, two assists and a block in the victory over Cal Poly Humboldt. He is the first Bronco since Josh Martin in 2018-19 to record a double-double in his Santa Clara Debut.
HAMMOND’S COMING OUT PARTY
After redshirting the 2024-25 season, sophomore Christian Hammond put together an impressive display in his first action since the 2024 WCC Tournament. The Denver, Colo., product tied his career-high for points with 13 on 6-of-11 shooting, and also set career-bests in rebounds (9) and steals (5). He’s the first Bronco with five or more steals in a game since Tyeree Bryan also tallied five against Fresno State last December.
