Santa Clara University’s men’s basketball team maintained its undefeated home record with a 62-54 victory over Saint Mary’s on Saturday evening at Leavey Center. This win moves the Broncos to 11-0 at home and 7-1 in West Coast Conference (WCC) play, breaking an eight-game losing streak against their rivals from Moraga. It is Santa Clara’s first win over Saint Mary’s since February 8, 2022.
Christian Hammond led Santa Clara with 25 points, marking his eighth game this season scoring at least 20 points. The Broncos built a lead of up to 16 points in the second half but had to withstand a late rally by Saint Mary’s, who suffered their first league loss of the year.
The Broncos held Saint Mary’s to just 32 percent shooting from the field and limited them to four three-pointers out of twenty-two attempts. Santa Clara started strong with a quick lead and maintained it through halftime, leading 32-25 after the first period. Hammond contributed eleven points in the opening half as SCU shot forty-six percent from the field.
In the second half, Santa Clara extended its advantage by scoring the first seven points and keeping Saint Mary’s scoreless for seven minutes. Although Saint Mary’s narrowed the deficit to four points with less than eight minutes left, Santa Clara responded with key baskets from Theirry Darlan, Sash Gavalyugov, Bukky Oboye, and Hammond.
Hammond finished nine-for-ten from the free throw line as part of his overall performance that included five rebounds, two assists, and one steal across thirty-three minutes played. Allen Graves added eleven points and eight rebounds while Elijah Mahi tied his career-high with three steals alongside eight points and six rebounds.
Santa Clara’s defense limited Paulius Murauskas—Saint Mary’s top scorer—to twelve points; he also recorded ten rebounds for a double-double. The Gaels struggled at the free throw line despite entering as national leaders in free throw percentage.
The Broncos’ current home winning streak is now eleven games—their longest since they won seventeen straight between 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. Over their last ten matchups against Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara has now won twice.
Santa Clara will next play on Saturday, January 24th against San Diego.
