Santa Clara Broncos Secure Ninth Consecutive Victory
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Continuing an impressive streak, the Santa Clara Broncos secured their ninth consecutive victory by defeating Seattle 84-72 on Wednesday evening. Freshman player Sash Gavalyugov made a significant impact off the bench, contributing 21 points to the team’s success.
Season Performance
With this win, Santa Clara improves to an impressive 22 wins and 5 losses this season, maintaining a 13-1 record within the West Coast Conference (WCC). This marks the best performance for the school since the 1969-70 season, when they also achieved a 22-5 record.
The current nine-game win streak is the longest for Santa Clara since the 1994-95 season, reflecting their strong potential to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three decades. This victory also ties them for the record of most conference wins in a single season, previously matched in the 1967-68 and 1968-69 seasons, when the Broncos captured league titles and made it to the Elite Eight.
Game Highlights
Seattle, on the other hand, falls to a record of 15-11, with a WCC record of 4-9. Players Junseok Yeo and Brayden Maldonado were the top scorers for the Redhawks, each finishing with 17 points.
During the game, Santa Clara established a commanding 17-point lead early on, propelled by a 15-0 scoring run capped by Allen Graves’ 3-pointer, which contributed to his total of 15 points.
Although the Redhawks managed to close the gap to 25-24 late in the first half thanks to John Christofilis’s three-pointer, they entered halftime facing a 33-29 deficit. The Broncos maintained their lead, extending it to 57-46 with 8:23 remaining. Despite Seattle’s efforts to narrow the score to 76-70 after Maldonado hit a three-pointer and Yeo sank two free throws, they were unable to close the gap further.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, Santa Clara is set to host the 12th-ranked Gonzaga on Saturday, while Seattle will take on Oregon State at home on Sunday.
