LAS VEGAS – No. 3 Santa Clara University men’s basketball (24-7, 15-3) defeated No. 6 University of Pacific (18-14, 8-10 WCC) 76-68 on Sunday, March 8, in the quarterfinal round of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Broncos opened the game with a dominant 7-0 run. Both teams found an offensive rhythm, trading baskets throughout the first half. Santa Clara led 45-38 at halftime after going 8-for-17 from 3-point range. Pacific scored the first 5 points of the second half to cut the deficit to one possession. A few minutes later, the Broncos responded with a 12-0 run to extend their lead. Santa Clara maintained control for the remainder of the game and secured the 76-68 victory. The Broncos’ 15 3-pointers tied their WCC Tournament record as they reached the semifinal for the fourth time in the last six seasons. Allen Graves ’29 led the Broncos with 19 points, shooting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Elijah Mahi ’26 recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, becoming the first Bronco to post a double-double in the WCC Tournament since Brandin Podziemski in 2023. With the win, Santa Clara improved to 25-7, reaching the 25-win mark for only the third time in program history. When asked about their upcoming game against Saint Mary’s, “Definitely ready for that rematch. We know what we got to do. We’re doing the proper steps that we need. We’re going to be ready for tomorrow,” said Graves. Head coach Herb Sendek reached a milestone with the victory, earning the 599th win of his career and tying legendary Oregon State coach Slats Gill for the 45th most wins in NCAA Division I history. According to Bracketology projections, Santa Clara is among the “Last Four In” to make the NCAA Tournament, meaning a win against Saint Mary’s would significantly strengthen their chances. Next up: Santa Clara advances to the semifinal round to face No. 2 Saint Mary’s on Monday, March 9, at 8:30 pm PT. The two teams split their regular-season matchups, with Saint Mary’s winning the most recent meeting 86-67. 📝: @ninaglickphoto & @aneeka.sideline 📷: @ninaglickphoto

LAS VEGAS – No. 3 seed Santa Clara University women’s basketball (23-8, 13-5) defeated No. 7 University of San Francisco (16-13, 9-9 WCC) 87-69 in the quarterfinal round of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.  Both Santa Clara and USF struggled offensively in the first quarter, but the Broncos took control with dominant performances in the second and third quarters.  Maia Jones ’26 led the Broncos with an impressive 28 points and six rebounds.  “It was an amazing feeling. I had a lot of jitters. Tournament is a whole different atmosphere,” said Jones, when asked about playing in Sunday’s game. “Every team comes out like it’s their last game. They play hard. I felt like we all played as a team.” Hawkins now has 204 assists this season, ranking second in single-season in program history behind Becki Ashbaugh ’02, who recorded 227 in 2001-02. In their most recent matchup one week ago, the Broncos rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat the Dons 90-82 in overtime at home.  Sunday’s game marked USF’s third of the tournament. The Dons beat No. 11 San Diego on Friday and No. 6 Pepperdine on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals. Santa Clara has shown significant improvement since last season, when the Broncos entered the WCC tournament as the No. 8 seed and were eliminated in their opening game. Before Sunday, the Broncos had not won a WCC tournament game since March 2021, when they defeated LMU in the quarterfinal round.   “We’re gonna celebrate this for at least the next hour. It’s fun to win in Vegas,” said head coach Loree Payne, after her first win in the tournament with the Broncos.  This is the first time Santa Clara has beat San Francisco three times in a single season since 2010-11 and the first time they beat a conference opponent three times in a season since Portland in 2014-15.  Next up: With the win, Santa Clara advances to the semifinal round to face No. 2 Gonzaga on Monday, March 9, at 2:30 pm PT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. 📝: @ninaglickphoto @aneeka.sideline 📷: @ninaglickphoto