LAS VEGAS — The 2024 Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship may be three days old already, but the Gaels (24-7, 15-1 WCC) will get their first look at the court inside the Orleans Arena in the semifinals, as they get set to square off with the fourth seeded Santa Clara Broncos (20-12, 10-6 WCC), fresh off their 104-79 victory over San Diego. The regular season WCC Champion Gaels received a bye all the way to the semifinals and will be refreshed and ready to go against a Bronco side that will have one game under their belt in 2024 postseason play.
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Santa Clara Broncos
Monday, March 11 at 6:00 PM
Orleans Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada
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SEASON SERIES RECAP
The Gael swept the Broncos in their two meetings, never trailing against Santa Clara in the regular season, however, these two matchups were two very different styles of games. In Santa Clara on January 13, the Gaels jumped out to a 30-6 lead in the first 12 minutes of the contest, cruising to a 73-49 victory over the Broncos, who were fresh off of their upset over Gonzaga. Aidan Mahaney led the Gaels with 18 points on 7-14 shooting, including 4-6 shooting from deep, while Luke Barrett put together one of his best career offensive showings, scoring 17 on 7-9 shooting and 2-3 shooting from beyond the arc. Christoph Tilly was the Broncos lone double-digit scorer, with 11 points on 4-8 shooting from the field. More than half of the Gaels points came in the paint, as Saint Mary's physically dominated the Broncos, silencing an initially raucous crowd at the Leavey Center.
18 days later, the two sides collided again, this time in Moraga. Again, the Gaels looked to throw the knockout blow early, opening the game on 16-0 run, en route to taking a 44-22 halftime lead. In the second half, however, the Broncos were a different team, as whatever Head Coach Herb Sendek had to say to his squad in the locker room clearly resonated. The Gaels maintained a 20+ point lead throughout the first 10 minutes of the second frame, but then, the Broncos turned it on, as a Gael 20 point lead turned to 10 in the span of four and a half minutes. With 5:30 remaining in the contest, Santa Clara firmly gave themselves a chance, with the score sitting at 65-55. The Gaels tried to refind their footing, pushing the lead back to 12 at 72-60, but the Broncos countered with a 15-7 run. With 16 seconds left, the score was 79-75, but clutch free throw shooting from Chris Howell down the stretch helped the Gaels ice the game at 82-77. In the herculean effort, the Broncos put up 55 second half points against the traditionally stout Gaels defense. Augustas Marciulionis scored 20 points to go along with six assists, three steals and just one turnover. Alex Ducas added 15 points on 4-7 shooting from three. Carlos Marshall Jr. had an epic effort for the Broncos with 23 points, his highest tally against a WCC foe, while Adama Alpha-Bal went for 18 and Johnny O'Neill scored 15.
These two squads are more than familiar with one another, and a tiny wrinkle implemented by two of the best coaches in WCC, Randy Bennett and Herb Sendek, could spell the difference in round three of the Gaels and Broncos in 2024.
IN RECENT WCC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
This is the ninth consecutive season that the Gaels have made it as far as the WCC Semifinals, winning their semifinal matchup six of those nine instances. Since the start of the WCC Tournament in 1987, the Gaels and Broncos have met 13 times in WCC Postseason Play, with the Gaels leading the all-time series 7-6. For the last time these two team's squared off in the WCC Tournament, you'd have to remember back to 2022, when the Gaels defeated the Broncos in the semifinals 75-72 on the back of a 27 point showing from Tommy Kuhse. The Gaels never trailed the Broncos in that one, but cut the deficit to one point in the waning moments before Logan Johnson knocked down a pair of clutch free throws with three seconds left, and a desperation heave from the Broncos went no good to punch the Gaels ticket to the WCC Championship.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS
The Herb Sendek led Santa Clara Broncos are coming off of their 20th win for the fourth consecutive season (covid shortened 2020-21 season not included), defeating San Diego 104-79 in the WCC Quarterfinals. It was a season of runs for the Broncos that featured a seven game winning streak, and three three game winning streaks, but also featured a pair of three game losing streaks. Key victories include wins over Stanford, Oregon, Washington State and Gonzaga. Adama Alpha Bal has been the offensive leader of this squad, averaging nearly 15 points and 3 assists per game, thus earning him first team All-WCC honors. Stretch four man Johnny O'Neill has also been stellar this season, averaging 11.3 points per game, and leading his team in rebounds and shots blocked. O'Neill is the only Broncos to have started and played in every single game this year. That duo combined for 44 points in the quarterfinal win over San Diego. All-time, the Broncos have won just two WCC Titles, the inaugural tournament in 1987 and their second in 1993.
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