Broncos Suffer First Home Loss of the Season Against Gonzaga
Gonzaga’s Graham Ike (15) dribbles toward the basket. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Santa Clara University men’s basketball (22-6, 13-2) hosted conference rival Gonzaga (25-2, 13-1) in a thrilling, sold-out matchup at Leavey Center on Saturday night.
Attendance for Santa Clara men’s basketball’s game against Gonzaga reached 4,200 on Feb. 14, 2026, at the Leavey Center. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
“Great environment for college basketball. I thought our students really were fantastic. Great to see the arena filled,” said coach Herb Sendek, reflecting on the sold-out crowd.
KJ Cochran ‘29 celebrates after a dunk that maintained the Bronco lead over Gonzaga during the first half of their game on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
“Definitely a lot of energy. This is usually the biggest game of the year. A lot of nerves. Just pure competition,” said Jalen Williams ’22, when asked about his experience playing Gonzaga at home.
The Broncos opened the game strong, jumping out to a 19-11 lead behind a 6-0 run capped by consecutive buckets—one of which was an exhilarating fast-break dunk—from KJ Cochran ’29.
Gonzaga immediately answered with a 3-point shot from Graham Ike and tied the game with just over eight minutes left in the half. The Bulldogs continued to fight and grabbed their first lead at 31-29 with six minutes remaining.
After another 3-point play from Cochran briefly put Santa Clara in front, Gonzaga closed the half on a 9-3 run to take a 44-39 lead.
In the first half, the Broncos shot 45% from the field while Gonzaga was at 51%. Ike led all scorers with 17 points. Cochran and Christian Hammond ’28 led the Broncos with 9 points each.
Santa Clara came out of halftime firing with a 5-0 run to retake the lead at 49-48. The lead went back and forth until back-to-back 3-point shots from Thierry Darlan ’27 and Sash Gavalyugov ’28 pushed the Broncos ahead 60-55 with just over 12 minutes remaining.
However, Gonzaga responded with an emphatic 18-6 run to go up 73-66 with less than seven minutes left. A Hammond jumper cut the deficit to 73-70 with 5:47 remaining, but the Broncos wouldn’t get any closer. The Bulldogs countered with a 10-4 run to extend their lead to nine in the final 2:30.
Gavalyugov knocked down another 3-pointer to make it a two possession game, but the Bulldogs closed the door with free throws and a late dunk to secure their largest lead of 10 in the final minute.
Gonzaga outrebounded Santa Clara 41-32, scored 15 points off 12 Bronco turnovers, and dominated in the paint with 66 points.
Gonzaga’s Graham Ike (15) grabs a defensive rebound before Bukky Oboye (12) ’28 can get to the ball. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
“It’s what they do, it’s what we prepared for, but they were able to do it anyway,” Sendek said, crediting the strength of their team.
Hammond led Santa Clara with 16 points, marking his 23rd team-best double-figure scoring game of the season. Bukky Oboye ’28 tied his career high with 8 rebounds and added 7 points.
Allen Graves ’29 also reached double figures with 13 points, along with two steals, three assists, and three rebounds. His performance earned him WCC Freshman of the Week honors for the fifth time this season.
The Broncos’ 13-game home win streak came to an end, tied for the third longest in program history behind the 2004-06 and 2012-13 runs. It was also their first loss this season when scoring more than 80 points.
Fans in the student section celebrate a basket by the Broncos. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Their loss does not diminish their impressive season, and the team remains in a strong position to make the NCAA Tournament in March.
Sendek emphasized that their mindset remains the same regardless of the outcome. “The season’s not over. Each game is important to your ultimate season.”
Next up: The Broncos head to USF for a road matchup on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m.