Santa Clara Men’s Basketball Has its Best Chance to Punch its Ticket to March Madness
Allen Graves (22) ’29 shoots a fader that goes in during the second half of Santa Clara men’s basketball’s quarterfinal game against Pacific. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
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.
Brenton Knapper (0) ’26 fights for a rebound. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
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.
Allen Graves (22) ’28 celebrates scoring a 3-pointer. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
Allen Graves’ dad, Marshall Graves, holds up Posters featuring his son. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
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.
Brenton Knapper ’26 looks back at his teammates before placing Santa Clara’s sticker onto the semifinal place in the bracket. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
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.