SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Behind a monster night from redshirt freshman
Sash Gavalyugov, Santa Clara men's basketball picked up an emphatic 103-72 victory over LMU on Saturday evening, improving to a perfect 9-0 inside the Leavey Center this season.
Gavalyugov was tremendous in just his second start of the season. The Bulgaria native shot 14-of-20 for a career-high 37 points – tied for the second-most ever scored by a Bronco inside the Leavey Center, and just one point shy of tying Brandin Podziemski's record set in 2023.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Santa Clara (14-5, 5-1) used an 8-0 run to take an early 10-point lead at 18-8 with 13:47 to play in the opening half. Freshmen Allen Graves and KJ Cochran knocked down consecutive treys in the spree to force the Lions to earn an early timeout.
- Gavalyugov led all scorers in the opening 20 minutes with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, helping the Broncos mount at 15-point advantage at the break at 45-30.
- The Broncos got a bulk of their 35 first-half points by way of the 3-pointer, finishing the half an efficient 7-for-15 from beyond the arc.
- Santa Clara extended the lead to 20 less than three minutes into the second half on Gavalyugov's fourth triple of the night that made it 54-34. That lead grew to as much as 35 down the stretch at 96-61 with less than four minutes to play.
- The Broncos finished 13-for-33 from 3-point range, their 12th game with 10 or more treys, and 47 percent from the field. They were plus-13 on the boards (46-33) with 18 off to offensive glass.
- LMU (11-8, 2-4) shot 44 percent from the field and turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 24 Bronco points. Jalen Shelly led the way for the Lions offensively with 18 points.
NOTABLE NUMBERS:
- Gavalyugov's 37 points are the second-most ever scored by a Bronco Freshman (Jared Brownridge, 38 at Pepperdine).
- The 37 points are also the most scored by a Bronco since Podziemski's 38-point record-setting night against Pacific on Jan. 28, 2023. It is tied for the second-most ever scored by a Bronco inside Toso Pavilion/Leavey Center alongside Jens Gordon's 37 on Dec. 30, 1988 against UNC-Charlotte.
- Gavalyugov was 6-for-12 from 3-point range, the most made treys for the Broncos since Carlos Stewart Jr. also had six last season against Saint Mary's.
- Cochran also had a career-night, tying his season-high point total with 14 on 5-of-10 shooting, including a stout 3-for-4 mark from 3-point range.
- Graves finished in double figure scoring for the third consecutive game and 11th time overall. The big man notched 16 points, two shy of his season-high set just two nights prior at Gonzaga, to go with six rebounds and two steals.
- Elijah Mahi was back in double figure scoring as well, logging his 15th such game with 17 points (7-14 FG) to go with a pair of steals.
- Jake Ensminger pulled down 11 rebounds to go with four assists. The junior has tallied three games in double figure rebounds on the season and is up to 12 for his career.
- Thierry Darlan also had a big night on the boards with seven rebounds and also logged a pair of steals and three assists.
- Christian Hammond finished a field goal shy of double figures himself, but came up with three steals and three assists.
- The 103 points are Santa Clara's most of the season and second game with 100 or more.
- SCU held LMU's top two leading scorers in league play (Rodney Brown Jr. and Jan Vide) to 13 points combined.
POSTGAME COMMENTS:
UP NEXT:
SCU will remain at the Leavey Center when they host Pacific for a 7:00 p.m. PT tip on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
