PJ Pipes pumped in five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points as Santa Clara pulled out a 77-72 win over No. 22 Saint Mary’s on Tuesday night in Santa Clara, Calif.
Jalen Williams added 18 points and 10 assists for the Broncos (17-8, 7-3 West Coast Conference), while Josip Vrankic chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds to help them earn a 32-30 edge on the glass.
Santa Clara avenged a January loss to the Gaels by carving up a defense that was allowing the sixth-fewest points per game in Division I. The Broncos sank 55.4 percent of their field-goal attempts and drew 18 assists on 31 buckets.
Tommy Kuhse came off the bench to score 16 points and dish out six assists for Saint Mary’s (19-5, 7-2), which had won seven straight. Matthias Tass added 12 points and seven rebounds, but he played only six first-half minutes after finding foul trouble.
Santa Clara led by as many as 12 points in the second half and held off a late run by the Gaels. The visitors closed within two points twice down the stretch, but the Broncos sealed the outcome with two free throws apiece by Williams and Keshawn Justice in the final minute.
Saint Mary’s got off to an impressive start, sinking three consecutive 3-pointers in a 99-second span and establishing an 11-5 advantage at the first TV timeout. But Tass was whistled for his second foul at the 13:05 mark, beginning a momentum shift to Santa Clara.
Pipes and Williams drilled 3-pointers 30 seconds apart to give the Broncos their first lead, 17-16, with 9:58 left until intermission. The game swayed back and forth for the half’s remainder as the lead swapped hands seven times, with four ties.
The teams ended the half shooting better than 48 percent each, and the final 30 seconds served as an illustration of their touch. Pipes sank a jumper for a four-point edge, but Kuhse answered by making a trey with three seconds remaining, cutting Santa Clara’s advantage to 35-34.
–Field Level Media
