Santa Clara Men’s Basketball Battles, Loses WCC Championship Game
Santa Clara’s bench near the end of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship final. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
LAS VEGAS – No. 3 Santa Clara men’s basketball (24-7, 15-3) fell to No. 1 Gonzaga (29-3, 16-2) 68-79 on Tuesday, March 10, in the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship title game at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Santa Clara held the lead for the entire first half, with its largest margin at 8 points, not trailing until Gonzaga took its first lead with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game. In a back-and-forth battle, the Bulldogs pulled through late to win the WCC Tournament championship game and secure their auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week.
This was the final WCC matchup between Santa Clara and No. 12 nationally ranked Gonzaga, as the Bulldogs will join the reimagined Pac-12 conference after this season.
The Broncos have won the tournament only twice, in 1987 and 1993.
Santa Clara defeated Gonzaga once in Spokane over the last two seasons, but failed to beat the Bulldogs in either regular-season matchup this year.
Christian Hammond (1) ’28 puts three fingers over his face celebrating his made 3-point shot. Hammond scored 24 points in the championship game. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
The championship game marked the Broncos’ third game in three days. Allen Graves ’29 and Sash Gavalyugov ’29 were named to the WCC’s All-Tournament Team for their stellar performances that helped the Broncos edge Pacific and Saint Mary’s en route to their matchup against Gonzaga.
“Being selected in the all-tournament team is cool but doesn’t mean much to me when we lost the final, team success is what matters the most,” said Gavalyugov.
When asked about their chances of making March Madness, “I feel confident for whatever’s next,” said Elijah Mahi ’26.
Elijah Mahi (8) ’26 shoots an unsuccessful 3-point shot with just under 5 minutes left on the clock. Gonzaga’s lead would’ve been cut to two points if it went in. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
“I feel confident. You leave that up to the committee. We can just do what we do, handle what we can handle, go to practice every day and just focus on our process,” said Christian Hammond ’28.
“I’m very proud of them. I really love each and every one of these guys. It’s been a tremendous blessing to be able to coach them this year,” said head coach Herb Sendek, when asked if he was satisfied with the season despite Tuesday’s loss.
The Broncos will wait for their postseason fate during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, March 15, at 3 p.m. PT on CBS.