Inside the Herd: Winter Week 6
Men’s Basketball
Santa Clara University men’s basketball continued its dominant run last Saturday, capturing their eighth straight victory with a 96-92 triumph over Washington State. Allen Graves ’29 delivered a dominant performance, recording a season-high 30 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double. He was utterly unguardable, converting 10 of his 14 shots from the floor and sinking 9 of his 10 free-throw attempts to boot.
This marks a pivotal moment in the Bronco season, as a Valentine’s Day home matchup with Gonzaga looms large. The Broncos have a chance to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament if they can continue to pick up WCC wins. ESPN has flirted with the Broncos being amongst the first four out over the last few weeks, and some projections even have them as among the last four in. There is a legitimate debate to have three WCC teams make the tournament, but if the Broncos can deliver against the Bulldogs, they can put those debates to bed.
Next Up: vs. Gonzaga, Saturday, Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
Santa Clara women’s basketball came up short in a 90-82 loss to Pacific last Thursday. Maia Jones ’27 led the way with 24 points as the Broncos cut a 19-point deficit to a five-point gap with just under three minutes to go. This wouldn’t be enough, however, and the Tigers held on for the victory.
Despite their second straight loss, Santa Clara women’s basketball is having a strong campaign with an 18-7 overall record, as they look to bounce back on their upcoming road trip.
Next Up: at Saint Mary’s, Thursday, Feb. 19, 6:00 p.m.
Softball
Santa Clara softball took on the Grand Canyon University invitational over the weekend, finishing the tournament with a 3-2 record. The Broncos delivered a pair of wins over Southern Utah and Weber State, winning 8-3 and 6-4 on Friday, highlighted by a complete game by last season’s WCC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, Cari Ferguson ’28, against Weber State.
On Saturday, the Broncos split a pair of games, defeating Weber State again, 8-3, before falling to Grand Canyon in a 5-4 nail-biter. The Broncos had 13 hits against Weber State, including a 6-run 4th inning. Kendal Manley ’26 threw five shutout innings to close the door against the Wildcats. Grand Canyon walked off the Broncos on a wild pitch in the 7th to remain perfect on the season. The Broncos were unable to get revenge against Grand Canyon on Sunday, as they could not get on the board, falling to the Antelopes in a 1-0 defensive battle.
Next Up: Silicon Valley Classic, Santa Clara, Feb. 12-15
Men’s Tennis
Santa Clara men’s tennis kicked off the weekend with a tough 4-1 loss at the hands of UC Santa Barbara. While they managed to capture the doubles point, the Broncos were swept in each of the singles competitions.
Saturday was a completely different story, however, as the Broncos dominated both of their matchups, winning 4-0 vs Portland State and 7-0 vs Menlo College. Valentin Faure ’28 won both his doubles and singles matches against Portland. Ferran Redza ’29, Alexander Watanabe Eriksson ’26 and Lukas Maskow ’27 all won both their doubles and singles matches versus Menlo College. The Broncos improved to a 6-2 overall record on the season.
Next Up: at Washington, Saturday, Feb. 14, 11 a.m.
Women’s Tennis
Santa Clara women’s tennis narrowly fell to UC Irvine on Saturday, as the Anteaters made a remarkable comeback, down 3-1 at one point on the day and stormed back to snatch a 4-3 victory.
Daniella Dimitrova ’26, Lizanne Boyer ’26 and Anna Rahman ’28 won each of their singles matches to give the Broncos their early advantage. However, the Broncos would go on to lose three straight as they were unable to close the door on the Anteaters.
Next Up: at Cal State Fullerton, Saturday, Feb. 14, 11 a.m.