How Much Did the Broncos’ Loss to Saint Mary’s Hurt Their NCAA Tournament Chances?

Thierry Darlan (15) ’27 gets the ball stripped away from him by Saint Mary’s Gaels’ Mikey Lewis (0). (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara men’s basketball traveled to Moraga, California to face Saint Mary’s College on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in a matchup with major implications as both teams competed for better positioning in the WCC tournament. 

The game was packed with Saint Mary’s fans, who were loud and passionate throughout the night, creating a hostile environment for the Broncos. Still, Santa Clara has won in tough road games before, and the crowd alone does not fully explain the Broncos’ performance.

The Broncos are in the midst of one of their strongest seasons in decades as they pursue their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years. 

Saint Mary’s opened the game on an 11-2 run behind several 3-pointers from Joshua Dent, forcing Santa Clara to take an early timeout. The Broncos quickly responded with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to one just two minutes later.

Santa Clara fans celebrate a shooting foul committed by Saint Mary’s. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

After free throws from Bukky Oboye ’28 and a 3-pointer by Thierry Darlan ’27, Santa Clara took a 6-point lead at 31-25. The Gaels answered with a 13-2 run to close the half and carried a 42-36 lead into halftime. 

Allen Graves ’29, returning from an ankle injury in the Broncos’ previous game, led Santa Clara with 11 first-half points. However, the Broncos shot just 41%  from the field and struggled to get offensive rebounds. Saint Mary’s grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, leading to 15 second-chance points.

Allen Graves ’29 dribbles towards the basket during Santa Clara men’s basketball’s game against Saint Mary’s at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara’s chances of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament began to slip away at halftime. The Broncos now rely on a strong run in the upcoming WCC Tournament to strengthen their case. 

The Gaels quickly extended their advantage after halftime, opening with a quick 6-0 run to push their lead to 12. Their lead grew to 16 at 63-47 with less than 13 minutes remaining. 

A 3-pointer by Christian Hammond ’28 sparked a 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to nine at 63-54. Yet, Saint Mary’s responded with several 3-pointers and unanswered points to regain control and never even looked back. 

The Gaels led 75-59 with five minutes remaining and extended their lead to as many as 23 in the final two minutes before securing an 86-67 victory.

While Saint Mary’s shot better than Santa Clara from both the field and the 3-point line, the biggest difference came on the rebounds. The Gaels dominated the rebounding battle 51-21. 

What went wrong?

The answer started on the boards. The 30-rebound deficit was impossible to overcome. As the scoring margin widened, head coach Herb Sendek grew increasingly frustrated on the bench.

Santa Clara men’s basketball coach Herb Sendek questions Elijah Mahi ’26 (8) during the second half of Santa Clara men’s basketball’s game against Saint Mary’s. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara is one of two WCC teams with three players averaging over 13 points per game in conference play: Hammond, Mahi and Graves. However, against Saint Mary’s, Hammond finished with just 11 points, and Mahi added 5. 

Oboye played only nine minutes after getting into foul trouble, while starter Brenton Knapper ’26 logged just 16 minutes. Santa Clara’s bench accounted for more than half of the team’s points. 

The loss drops Santa Clara to third place in the WCC standings and significantly reduces their chances of climbing higher before the conference tournament, leaving fans searching for answers.  

Sendek and his team knew what was at stake and how important it was to get the job done. The Broncos had defeated Saint Mary’s at home on Jan. 17, 62-54. In that matchup, Santa Clara was outrebounded by just 5.

A Saint Mary’s fan holds up a t-shirt that says “BUCK THE FRONCOS” after Saint Mary’s defeated Santa Clara 86-67 at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2026. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Next up: The Broncos will play their final regular-season game against Oregon State at Leavey Center on Saturday Feb, 28, at 5 p.m., where they will honor seniors Brenton Knapper ’26, Elijah Mahi ’26, Malachi Douyon ’26 and Brendan Yarusso ’26.