Broncos Overcome Injury Setback To Defeat Loyola Marymount

Photo by Amy Suh

On Thursday, Feb. 20, rowdy fans filled the stands as the Broncos were back in action at the Leavey Center in a tough matchup against the Loyola Marymount Lions, seeking revenge on a team they lost to earlier this season. However, the game took an unfortunate turn from the start. 

Just 25 seconds into the first half, Adama-Alpha Bal ’25 went down with a lower-body injury. He immediately was helped towards the bench and into the locker room to be evaluated. The injury was non-contact on the game’s first possession, and Bal’s status for Tuesday’s matchup against the Gonzaga Bulldogs is unknown. 

Despite this setback, the Broncos came out strong, with Carlos Stewart Jr. ’25 leading with 16 points and Brenton Knapper ’26 with seven points, ultimately taking a 35-26 lead into halftime.

The Broncos continued their strong performance in the second half, keeping their lead to at least an eight point margin for the first five minutes until the Lions went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to four. 

Elijah Mahi ’26 responded, as all of his 10 points came in the second half, helping the Broncos gain their largest lead at 15 points. 

When reflecting on his second-half performance, Mahi said, “At half, I told myself let me just simplify the game, get into the lane and make easy reads.” Ultimately, the game leaders were Stewart Jr. with 16 points, Camaron Tongue ‘25 with 14, Knapper with 12 and Mahi with 10. 

Santa Clara’s decision-making created a greater impact than just points on the board. The Broncos also out-rebounded the Lions by 21, giving them a 10-0 record when out-rebounding an opponent by at least 10. 

The final score at Leavey Center was 76-51 in favor of the Broncos. Questions arise about how the Broncos will adjust their lineup ahead of the matchup against Gonzaga, but they got a strong win to create momentum heading into a tough matchup.