Halftime Report
Saint Mary's is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They are fully in control with a 47-18 lead over Santa Clara.
Saint Mary's already has six blowout wins this season, but why stop there? Barring a freak comeback, they will be celebrating another huge victory in the locker room very soon.
Who's Playing
Saint Mary's Gaels @ Santa Clara Broncos
Current Records: Saint Mary's 12-6, Santa Clara 12-6
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Leavey Center -- Santa Clara, California
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $14.00
What to Know
The Saint Mary's Gaels and the Santa Clara Broncos will face off in a West Coast clash at 7:00 p.m. ET on January 13th at Leavey Center. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Saint Mary's sitting on four straight wins and Santa Clara on three.
Saint Mary's has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 20 points or more this season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat the Pilots 95-52 at home. With Saint Mary's ahead 56-23 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Saint Mary's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Joshua Jefferson, who scored 14 points along with eight assists and six steals. Those six steals set a new season-high mark for him. Aidan Mahaney was another key contributor, going 7 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 25 points and 1 assists.
Even though Santa Clara has not done well against Gonzaga recently (they were 0-10 in their previous ten matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Not to be outdone by the Bulldogs, the Broncos got past the Bulldogs on a last-second layup courtesy of Adama Bal with 4 seconds left in the second quarter. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to post 13 more assists than your opponent, as Santa Clara did.
Santa Clara can attribute much of their success to Bal, who scored 17 points along with six assists and three steals, and Brenton Knapper, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds. Those six assists set a new season-high mark for him.
The Gaels are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. As for the Broncos, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 12-6.
Saturday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Saint Mary's have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 41 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Looking ahead, Saint Mary's is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 5.5 points. This contest will be their ninth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 4-4 against the spread).
Odds
Saint Mary's is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Santa Clara, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Gaels, as the game opened with the Gaels as a 4-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 134.5 points.
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Series History
Saint Mary's has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Santa Clara.
- Jan 21, 2023 - Saint Mary's 77 vs. Santa Clara 58
- Dec 31, 2022 - Saint Mary's 67 vs. Santa Clara 64
- Mar 07, 2022 - Saint Mary's 75 vs. Santa Clara 72
- Feb 08, 2022 - Santa Clara 77 vs. Saint Mary's 72
- Jan 20, 2022 - Saint Mary's 73 vs. Santa Clara 65
- Jan 09, 2021 - Santa Clara 66 vs. Saint Mary's 64
- Feb 27, 2020 - Saint Mary's 78 vs. Santa Clara 72
- Jan 11, 2020 - Santa Clara 67 vs. Saint Mary's 66
- Feb 14, 2019 - Saint Mary's 66 vs. Santa Clara 55
- Jan 17, 2019 - Saint Mary's 75 vs. Santa Clara 55