Things look to be getting better for Santa Clara.
Jared Brownridge and Brandon Clark each scored 13 points for the Broncos, as Santa Clara held on to beat Pepperdine 60-57.
Pepperdine (12-8, 5-4 WCC) took their first and only lead of the game with a free throw at the 17:45 mark of the first half. From that point on, Santa Clara (11-10, 5-4 WCC) made several runs in the first half to build a 35-24 lead at halftime.
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The Broncos continued to hold a double-digit lead over the Waves for the first ten minutes of the second half. After the under eight media timeout, Pepperdine went on a 7-2 run and trailed 53-51 with 5:08 left. Both teams continued to trade baskets until the 1:35 mark, when Jeremy Major made a layup for Pepperdine to pull within two.
Both teams would go scoreless until Clark was fouled with 16 seconds left. Clark, an 86% free-throw shooter, made both free throws to give Santa Clara a 59-55 lead.
Stacy Davis responded with a jumper for the Waves, who were down 59-57 with six seconds left. Pepperdine immediately fouled Clark out of the timeout.
With a 59-57 lead, Clark missed his first free throw of the night. He made the second to give the Broncos a 60-57 lead with five seconds remaining. Kerry Keating’s decision not to foul turned out to be good as Jeremy Major missed the three-point jumper for Pepperdine as the clock expired, giving Santa Clara the 60-57 victory.
STATS AND TIP-INS
Santa Clara’s bench outscored Pepperdine’s bench 39-8, as Pepperdine went 0-11 from behind the arc. Santa Clara also edged Pepperdine 30-28 on the boards.
With BYU’s loss at San Diego on Saturday, Pepperdine and Santa Clara join BYU in a three-way tie for third place. The win gives Santa Clara their fourth consecutive victory.
WHAT’S NEXT
On Thursday, San Diego hosts Santa Clara, while Pacific hosts Pepperdine.
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