Bronco Squads Go Through Different Phases During Conference Play

Santa Clara Basketball enters final month of the season

Women’s Basketball

The Broncos women’s basketball team is off to a solid start in West Coast Conference (WCC) Play, having upended Pepperdine in their home opener before playing against University of San Francisco (USF) in a home-and-home set of games. It is safe to say that senior Lindsay VanAllen is leaving her mark on her final season as a Bronco, averaging 23.3 points per game through her first three conference games.

VanAllen’s early success on offense has led the Broncos to a 2-1 conference record, and 8-5 overall. VanAllen scored 27 points in the Broncos’ win over Pepperdine. And as if that wasn’t enough, she went out two days later and put up 28 points in a close victory over USF on Jan. 15. Knowing it's her last season on the college hardwood has added motivation as VanAllen closes out her career at Santa Clara.

Despite the Broncos falling at the Hilltop in San Francisco on Jan. 17, Santa Clara clearly has found their foundation set for the rest of conference play — with the offense running through VanAllen. Other players like Ashley Hiraki, Lana Hollingsworth and Merle Wiehl also have contributed to the cause for the Broncos, as the team will need all of them if they want to make a strong run in March.

The Broncos had a complete game against Loyola Marymount (LMU) on Jan. 20, enjoying a nice 16-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter thanks to 17 points from Lindsay VanAllen and stifling perimeter defense that held LMU to 17% from 3-point range. With the 62-51 victory, the Broncos moved to 3-1 in conference, good for a tie for third place. Santa Clara heads on the road for four of their next five games, and with a 1-4 road record, the team hopes to carry their momentum away from Leavey Center.

Men’s Basketball 

Santa Clara Men’s Basketball team is certainly having an intriguing start to conference play. After getting several games postponed due to health and safety protocols, they were finally able to take the court against Pacific of Stockon on Jan. 13.

It is safe to say that the Broncos clearly missed being out on the court with one another. Finally rounding into full health aside from Jaden Bediako’s injury, Santa Clara looked like they didn’t miss a beat when they took the floor in Stockton. Jalen Williams left his mark all over the floor in the ballgame, racking up 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 84-70 victory. The rest of the starting lineup got into double figures, with Keshawn Justice drilling five three-pointers and Josip Vrankic nearly getting a double-double. Their next game was against the AP-ranked No. 1 team in the country, the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Gonzaga boasts daunting lineups every year, but many people who follow the WCC felt that since they had lost many players from last year’s National Championship runner-up team, they could be vulnerable in conference play. Only All-American Forward Drew Timme and starting point guard Andrew Nembhard were considered players who could stem the tide for the Bulldogs, leaving them vulnerable to teams like BYU, Santa Clara, St. Mary’s and USF.

Nonetheless, the ‘Zags find themselves atop the WCC heading into the final month of regular season play.

With new safety rules allowing only a 25% attendance capacity in the Leavey center, there was a definite loss of student and Bronco fan presence for the big game, but in the end it didn’t matter. The game was proverbially over just minutes into the game, with Gonzaga throwing knockout punch after knockout punch in an avalanche first half. Before the Broncos could even gain their footing, they were down 39-14 and Drew Timme was getting everything he wanted. Couple that with wide-open missed threes and early foul trouble by Josip Vrankic, and the writing was on the wall.

At the end of 40-minutes, the final score stood at 115-83 in favor of the visiting Bulldogs: a scene all too familiar to many opponents who have played Gonazaga this year.

The only notable feat from the game was from Senior Forward Keshawn Justice, scoring his 1000th career point, the 36th Bronco to ever do so. Jalen Williams had 17 points and five rebounds in what was otherwise a throw away contest for Santa Clara. The road doesn’t get much easier for the Broncos with critical WCC games upcoming against St. Mary’s, BYU and USF in four of their next five games. It remains to be seen how the Broncos will rebound, but they will need everyone to step up in order to stay afloat in the WCC.

Santa Clara’s next game on Jan. 20 was against the physically impounding and slower-paced St. Mary’s Gaels. The keys to this game were simple for the Broncos: push the pace, stay disciplined, and most importantly, rebound the ball against a much bigger St. Mary’s squad. Early on, Santa Clara was checking all the boxes, getting consistent offense from Jalen Williams and finally from PJ Pipes. However, St.Mary’s — normally not known for their 3-point shooting — drained seven threes in the first half enroute to a 37-30 halftime lead over the Broncos.

Santa Clara was the WCC leader in 3 point shooting percentage at 38%, yet only shot a total of three 3-pointers in the first half compared to the 18 attempts for the Gaels.

Once the teams returned from halftime, Santa Clara struck first, going on a 7-0 run to tie the game with baskets from Keshawn Justice and PJ Pipes. The Broncos and Gaels would back-and-forth over the course of the second half, with each run by the Broncos being met by a subsequent one by the Gaels. In the end, a series of missed layups, turnovers, and a lack of defensive rebounding cost Santa Clara in what would’ve been an impressive road victory over St.Mary’s, falling 73-65. Tommy Kuhse and Matthias Tass terrorized the Broncos, with Kuhse coming off the bench with 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Jalen Williams continued his strong campaign with 18 points and PJ Pipes had a nice bounceback game with 16, but ultimately the Broncos came just short, enroute to another close loss.