Santa Clara University’s men’s basketball team secured an 85-73 win over San Diego on Saturday, improving their record to 8-1 in West Coast Conference (WCC) play. The victory also completed a regular-season sweep of the Toreros and extended Santa Clara’s winning streak against San Diego to six games.
The Broncos established control early, shooting 65.2 percent from the field in the first half and building a 12-point halftime lead. They opened the game with a 15-4 run and maintained their advantage throughout the first period, leading by as much as 13 points before halftime.
Christian Hammond and Bukky Oboye led Santa Clara with 16 points each. Oboye matched his career high with eight rebounds and was perfect from the field, going 6-for-6. Hammond contributed four three-pointers on six attempts. Elijah Mahi added 12 points, while Johnny Graves also scored 12 and recorded a career-high five blocks.
In the second half, Santa Clara started strong again with a 12-1 run that pushed their lead to 23 points. The Broncos held a lead of at least 20 until San Diego narrowed the gap in the final minutes with a late scoring surge.
Santa Clara finished the game shooting 62.5 percent from the floor and limited San Diego to just under 40 percent shooting, including only three successful three-pointers out of twenty-three attempts. The Broncos outrebounded San Diego by two and recorded assists on most of their made baskets.
Other notable performances included KJ Cochran’s season-high four assists, Brenton Knapper tying his career high with three steals along with five rebounds and three assists, and Jake Ensminger providing six points, four rebounds, and five assists.
With this win, Santa Clara improved its all-time record against San Diego to 61-40. The team’s current conference start is its best since the 1994-95 season when it won the WCC regular season title.
Santa Clara will next host rival San Francisco at Leavey Center on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., with national coverage scheduled on CBS Sports Network.
