SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Elijah Mahi scored a career-high 28 points Saturday and the Santa Clara University men's basketball team went over the 90-point mark for the second consecutive game and ninth time this season, routing visiting San Diego, 93-70, in a West Coast Conference matchup at Leavey Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Maji scored 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting in the first half alone. He scored six straight in the first half to push Santa Clara's (17-9, 9-4 WCC) lead to 19 eight minutes before halftime. 17 more points in the second half and he finished the afternoon only missing two shots (9 for 11) and going a perfect 3-for-3 from the 3-point arc. Maji wasn't only putting the ball in the basket, he was distributing it as well, collecting a career-high seven assists.
   
• It was Mahi who started the Broncos' final push in the second half to put the Toreros (4-22, 1-12 WCC) away. San Diego had pulled to within eight at 63-55 after a Joey Chammaa 3-pointer with 11 minutes to play, but Mahi answered with his own trey, then slammed it home on the very next possession to stick SCU's lead back at 13, where it would never again drop below double digits.
   
• Mahi scored 10 points in the Broncos' door-slamming, 23-5 run that pushed their advantage to an insurmountable 26 at 86-60 with four minutes left. Adama-Alpha Bal scored all seven of SCU's final points in that run to eclipse the double-digit threshold for the game, one of three Broncos to do so. Bal finished with 15 and Carlos Stewart Jr. had 14.
   
• Steven Jamerson II led San Diego with 21 points and nine rebounds. Tony Duckett guided the offense with a team-high five assists. San Diego finished the game shooting 32.8% while Santa Clara shot 58.2%. The Toreros were only 7 for 24 (29.2%) from the 3-point line while the Broncos shot 52.4% (11 for 21) from deep.
   
• Santa Clara had trouble defending the paint Saturday with starting center Christoph Tilly not playing. The burden of "big man" went to the trio of Cameron Tongue, Johnny O'Neil, and redshirt freshman Bukky Oboye. All three ran into foul trouble during the game, forcing the young Oboye to play a career-high 22 minutes. Oboye shined in his opportunity though, scoring a career-high nine points, pulling down a career-high six rebounds, recording a career-best four blocks and even dishing his first career assist.
   
• San Diego took advantage of the Broncos' rotating paint defenders, outrebounding them on the offensive glass, 17-7. That led to 21 second-chance points for the Toreros. Twice in the second half, it was second-chance points that pulled USD to within single digits before Santa Clara eventually pulled away.
   
• Four combined turnovers and three missed shots in the game's first 90 seconds were quickly forgotten when the teams combined to make four shots in a row over the next 90 seconds, and the game was off and running.
   
• Santa Clara erased San Diego's only lead of the game with an 18-0 run four minutes in, flipping a three-point deficit into a 15-point lead at 23-8. The Broncos shot 60.7% in the first half while holding San Diego to 34.4%. They hit eight 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes (57.1%).
   
• San Diego responded to its largest deficit with a 10-0 run that brought it back within single digits at 31-22, but they would only make three field goals after that, shooting 30% (3 for 10) with a turnover in the final five minutes of the first half.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW
 

another big win at ??

Hear all about it from Coach Sendek ?? pic.twitter.com/HEr6YSZsTk

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) February 9, 2025

Catch the postgame press conference w/ Coach Sendek and Elijah Mahi ?????https://t.co/lffsWhXlxv#StampedeAhead

— Santa Clara Men's Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) February 9, 2025

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 9: The Broncos surpassed the 90-point threshold for the ninth time this season. The team scored 90 or more 10 times during the 1969-70 season.
• 11: Santa Clara hit 11 3-pointers Saturday, their 17th time this season making at least 10 treys in a game. They're 14-3 in those games.
• 20: Adama-Alpha Bal had his team leading 20th game of the season in double figures with 15 points.
• 28: Elijah Mahi had his fourth 20 pt game of the season, putting in a career high 28 pts, adding a career best seven assists.
• 22: Bukky Oboye played a career high 22 minutes, scoring a career best nine points, grabbing six rebounds, and four blocks, all career bests.
• 34.7: This was the third straight game the Broncos have beaten an opponent by over 20 points, averaging a 34.7 margin of victory in that stretch.

COMING UP

• Santa Clara travels to the East Bay on Tuesday for a nationally televised showdown at first-place Saint Mary's. The game is slated for an 8:00 p.m. PT tip on ESPNU.