SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After protecting the home court with a rivalry win over San Francisco, Santa Clara men's basketball (18-5, 9-1) is hitting the road for their next three contests beginning Saturday, Jan. 31, in Los Angeles against LMU (11-12, 2-8). The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Trey Bender, Bill Herenda and Bridget Condon on the call.
THE OPPONENT
LMU enters the matchup looking to snap a five-game losing streak that dates back to Jan. 10, when the Lions traveled to Leavey Center for their first meeting with the Broncos. LMU nearly halted the skid in its most recent outing Wednesday night, but came up just short in a 72–69 loss to Oregon State. In his sixth season at the helm, head coach Stan Johnson has guided the Lions to an 11–12 overall record and a 2–8 mark in WCC play. LMU is averaging just under 69 points per game in conference action while surrendering 78.2 points per contest. Offensively, the Lions boast multiple scoring threats, with Jalen Shelley (13.4 ppg), Rodney Brown Jr. (13.1), and Myron Amey Jr. (12.5) all ranking among the WCC’s top 20 scorers in conference play.
SERIES HISTORY VS. LMU
Including the win earlier this month, Santa Clara owns a 99–65 all-time advantage in the series, highlighted by a 45–30 record in road games. The Broncos’ most recent trip to Gersten Pavilion, however, didn’t go as planned as LMU snapped SCU’s three-game win streak with a 57–54 victory on Jan. 16, 2025. Prior to that setback, the Broncos had won five consecutive meetings against the Lions.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE LIONS
It was Sash Gavalyugov’s world and everyone else was just living in it. Making just his second start of the season, the redshirt freshman went off against the Lions to the tune of 37 points on 14-of-20 shooting, including a 6-for-12 mark from 3-point range, to help the Broncos run away with a 103-72 victory on Jan. 10 in Leavey Center. Elijah Mahi (17), Allen Graves (16) and KJ Cochran (14) also scored in double figures while Jake Ensminger logged 11 rebounds. Santa Clara knocked down 13 triples en route to posting their second 100-point game of the season.
LAST TIME OUT
Rivalry wins always mean a little something extra, and the Broncos delivered a big one Wednesday night with an 88–73 victory over San Francisco to remain unbeaten at Leavey Center. After a sluggish first half, Santa Clara’s offense found its rhythm after the break, pouring in 54 points on 62 percent shooting to pull away. Christian Hammond struggled early, going 0-for-5 in the opening 20 minutes, but caught fire in the second half with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including a 4-for-5 mark from three-point range. Elijah Mahi added 18 points and set a career high with four steals, while freshmen Allen Graves and KJ Cochran chipped in 11 points apiece.
PROTECTING THE HOME COURT
Following the win over USF, Santa Clara remains a perfect 12–0 at Leavey Center this season. The streak ranks as the fourth-longest in Toso Pavilion/Leavey Center history and sits one win shy of tying for third. It is the Broncos’ longest home winning streak since posting a school-record 17 straight from 2018–19 to 2019–20. SCU is averaging 84.3 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting at home, with a plus-19.2 scoring margin.
BEST START SINCE THE NASH ERA
The Broncos are off to a 9-1 start in conference play with their lone blemish coming on the road against No. 8 Gonzaga, and sit at 18-5 overall. Both of those records stand as their best starts since the 1994-95 campaign when Santa Clara was 21-5 overall in the regular season and finished 12-2 in conference play to capture the WCC regular-season title. That team, led by Dick Davey, Steve Nash and company, was the second of three squads to play in the NCAA Tournament over a four-year stretch from 1993-96.
ON A STREAK
Santa Clara is currently riding a five-game win streak - their longest in conference play since winning their final seven WCC games to close out the 2022-23 season.
LOOKING FOR NO. 10
Santa Clara is one win away from reaching double-digit conference victories for the fifth straight season. The Broncos would join Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s as the only WCC programs to accomplish that feat over the span. SCU’s current four-year run of 10 or more conference wins already stands as a program record.
TURNING HEADS IN LEAGUE PLAY
Santa Clara is 9–1 in conference play and has done so in dominant fashion. The Broncos rank fifth nationally in average margin of victory in league games at plus-16.2 and lead the WCC in scoring at 87.4 points per game, which ranks 11th nationally. SCU is shooting 50.7 percent from the field (second in the league), leads the WCC with 10.2 three-pointers per game, and is also forcing a conference-best 10.2 steals per contest.
IN THE NET RANKINGS
Santa Clara currently ranks 44th in the NET rankings, which is third-best in the WCC behind Gonzaga (4) and Saint Mary’s (30).
DYNAMIC DUO
Christian Hammond (17.0) and Elijah Mahi (14.4) are one of two duos that rank inside the top 10 in the WCC in scoring joining Gonzaga’s Braden Huff and Graham Ike.
They are the only duo to also rank top 10 in league play with Hammond ranking sixth (16.6) and Mahi currently 10th at 14.5 points.
RACE TO 80
Santa Clara’s chances of victory soar when reaching the 80-point mark. The Broncos are 14–0 this season when scoring 80 or more, continuing a trend that dates back to Herb Sendek’s first season in 2016–17. Over the last 10 seasons, SCU is 96–11 (.897) in games with 80+ points, including a 68–9 (.883) mark over the past five years.
ABOUT THE WIN STREAK...
The Broncos have won their last five games in impressive fashion. Over the streak, Santa Clara is averaging 84.6 points while allowing just 68.2 points - a plus-16.4 differential. They are shooting just a hair under 50 percent (49.8) from the field with a 38.4 percent mark from 3-point range and a 74.4 clip at the charity stripe.
Four players are averaging better than 13 ppg during the stretch led by Christian Hammond’s 17.6 points on 54.2 percent shooting, including a 52.9 percent clip from 3-point range. Elijah Mahi is averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2.4 steals, Sash Gavalyugov is also averaging 14.0 ppg and Allen Graves is scoring 13.4 points to go with 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks.
