"The Broncos emphatically defended their home court Saturday, outscoring the Gaels 10-1 over the first 8 minutes of the second half on the way to a 62-54 victory at Leavey Center. Santa Clara (16-5, 6-1) handed Saint Mary's (17-3, 6-1) its first West Coast Conference defeat and snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Gaels in the 240th meeting between the Bay Area rivals. The Broncos remain perfect at home, improving to 11-0."
"Saint Mary's, which had beaten Santa Clara in 29 of their previous 33 meetings, didn't go quietly, even after the Broncos pushed their lead to 42-26 after two free throws by Hammond with 12:49 left. The Gaels came alive, scoring 12 unanswered points, four of them by sophomore Tony Duckett. The run pulled Saint Mary's within 42-38 with 8:46 to play. When center Andrew McKeever muscled in a layup, the Gaels trailed just 50-48 with 3'08 left."
"Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek knew the Gaels would make a push and he was proud of the way his team responded. "They kept their poise. Really didn't see anybody even flinch," he said. "We just continued to do what we do." A driving layup by Hammond and two free throws by Allen Graves boosted the Broncos' lead back to six points, triggering a 12-6 closing run."
Santa Clara beat Saint Mary's 62-54 at Leavey Center, ending an eight-game skid against the Gaels and remaining unbeaten at home (11-0). Christian Hammond scored 25 points to lead all scorers and helped spark an early second-half run. Saint Mary's rallied with a 12-point burst, including contributions from Tony Duckett and Andrew McKeever, to pull within two late. Santa Clara answered with a Hammond layup and two Allen Graves free throws and closed with a 12-6 run to secure the win. Santa Clara held Saint Mary's to a season-low 31.6 percent shooting and 4-for-22 from three.
Read at The Mercury News
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