SANTA CLARA, Calif.– The Santa Clara men’s basketball team returns to the comfort of Leavey Center on Wednesday, hosting Kennesaw State (7-3) for a 7:00 p.m. tip. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Anthony Passarelli and Henry Caruso on the call. The link can be found above.
The Broncos are coming off a dominating offensive performance over Bradley in the Jack Jones Classic, as three players scored 20 points or more for the first time since Dec. 18, 2018 in an 84-74 victory. Junior forward Elijah Mahi led the way with a career-high 23 points, while junior center Christoph Tilly added a season-best 21 points and senior guard Carlos Stewart Jr. chipped in 20 points to tie his season-high and extend his double-figure scoring streak to six-straight games. The Broncos shot 27-56 (48.2%) from the field and 12-24 (50%) from beyond the arc, their second highest percentages this season since shooting 35-60 (58.3%) and 12-22 (54.5%) against UC Riverside. The win marked the third straight victory for the Broncos and fourth in the last five games, and also snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Bradley Braves (8-2).
The Broncos have four players ranked inside the top-30 in the WCC in scoring with Mahi leading the way with 13.2 ppg (14th in WCC). Tilly is second on the team with 12.5 ppg (20th in WCC), Stewart ranks third with 12.1 ppg (22nd in WCC), and Adama-Alpha Bal rounds out the pack with 11.7 ppg (27th in WCC). The Broncos rank second in the WCC with 26.0 bench points per game, and third in the league (66th nationally) in free throw shooting percentage (75.4). The Broncos also rank second in the league and 78th nationally with 9.2 three pointers per game.
Santa Clara has also proven to be among the top rebounding teams in the league, ranking second in the WCC with 12.8 offensive rebounds per game (67th nationally), and fourth with 39.0 total rebounds per outing (75th nationally).
Kennesaw State checks into Wednesday with a 7-3 record, which includes a 79-77 victory over Rutgers and, most recently, an 81-77 win over Georgia State in their last outing. The Owls, led by second-year head coach Antonie Pettway, are averaging 80.3 points per game and are one of the top 10 teams in the nation in rebounding with an average of 43.2 per game. The Owls are also stout defensively with the seventh-best 3-point percentage defense in the nation (26.2 percent) and allow just 38.3 percent shooting from the field (21st nationally). Kennesaw State is led individually by Simeon Cottle (16.9) and Adrian Wooley (15.8). Cottle ranks fourth nationally in free throw percentage at an outstanding 96 percent.
Saturday’s game is the first meeting between the programs.
For more information, click on the game notes link above.
STREAMING INFO
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, and can be accessed here.
Broncos At A Glance…
Triple Threat:
In Santa Clara’s win over Bradley, Elijah Mahi (23), Christoph Tilly (21) and Carlos Stewart Jr. (20) all topped at least 20 points. It is the first game that SCU has had three players score 20 or more since Dec. 18, 2018 in a double overtime win over USC.
Free Throw Frenzy:
Santa Clara ranks third in the WCC and 66th nationally in free throw percentage at 75.4 percent. The Broncos have twice shot above 90 percent, including most recently against McNeese State where they shot a season-best 94.7 percent (18-of-19). They also shot 93.3 percent against UC Riverside (14-of-15).
Three-Point Shooting:
The Broncos rank first in the WCC with an average of 12.0 3-pointers per game. They have hit 10 or more treys in seven games this year (5-2), have done so in four-straight outings and are coming off their season-high with 13 against Fresno State and 12 against Bradley.
Balanced Scoring:
The Broncos have four players currently averaging in double figures: Mahi with 13.2 ppg (14th in WCC), Christoph Tilly with 12.5 ppg (20th in WCC), Carlos Stewart Jr. with 12.1 ppg (22nd in WCC), and Adama-Alpha Bal with 11.7 ppg (27th in WCC),.
On the Boards:
The Broncos rank second in the conference and 75th nationally with 12.82 offensive rebounds per game, and fourth in the WCC and 75th nationally with 39.00 total rebounds per game.
Stewart Put On a Show:
Carlos Stewart Jr. had an MVP-type performance at the Acrisure Invitational. The Baton Rouge native started the tournament with a then-season high 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting against TCU. He then turned in a new season high with 20 points to go with five rebounds and three steals against Washington. Stewart averaged 19.0 ppg on 63.6 percent shooting with 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game over the two-game tournament. He most recently added 13 points at McNeese State, 18 points vs. Fresno State, and tied a season high 20 points vs. Bradley, and has now scored in double figures in six-straight games, averaging 16.7 ppg and shooting 58.3 percent from the field in that stretch.
Tilly Time:
Junior center Christoph Tilly leads the team with eight double figure scoring games on the season. He has scored 15 or more on four occasions with a season high 21 in his last outing against Bradley. He also leads the team with 11 blocks, averaging one block per contest.
Ensminger Efficiency:
Despite a rough shooting start to the year, Jake Ensminger leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 per game, and has tied his career high 11 rebounds twice this season: vs. TCU (11/28) and most recently in his first start of the season vs. Fresno State (12/7).
O’Neil Stepping Up:
Senior Johnny O’Neil hasn’t had quite the start offensively that he was hoping for, but the big man from Miami Shores has been a force on defense. He currently is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game and is responsible for SCU’s only double-double (10 pts/14 reb vs. North Dakota State). He is second on the team with 10 blocks, a season high five of which came vs. Washington (11/29).
No Off Days:
Santa Clara’s non-conference strength of schedule is currently ranked 44th nationally out of 364 teams. They have the third-toughest non-conference schedule among WCC teams behind Gonzaga (8th) and San Francisco (38th).
Rising Up in the Ranks:
Herb Sendek ranks 56th on the NCAA D1 all-time career wins list (559). With one more win he’ll tie Jeff Jones for 55th place at 560 wins.
Mahi Making Moves:
Junior forward Elijah Mahi has started his SCU career with a bang, scoring in double figures in six of the first eight games to open the season. The Toronto product tallied 22 points at Nevada and most recently had 13 points vs. TCU, 19 points against Washington, and a career high 23 points in his last outing vs. Bradley. Mahi leads the team in ppg (13.2) which ranks 14th in the WCC.
Sustained success:
The Broncos have won 20 or more games in three consecutive seasons and four if you exclude the 2020-21 covid season.
Bal Back:
After flirting with the NBA Draft, Adama-Alpha Bal decided to return to the Broncos for one last season. The Le Mans, France, product is poised to once again be among the top players in the WCC in 2024-25 after an outstanding showing last year. Bal was a First Team All-WCC and Second Team NABC All-Dis-trict selection after averaging 14.4 ppg (7th best in WCC) in a team-high 31.2 minutes of work. He also ranked ninth in the league with 3.1 assists per game and led the Broncos with nine 20-point games.
Familiar Faces:
In addition to Bal, who was a First Team All-WCC selection last year, the Broncos brought back six other key rotation pieces. Among them, All-WCC Honorable Mention last season Christoph Tilly, and All-WCC Freshman Team selection sophomore forward Jake Ensminger. In addition, the Broncos return senior forward Johnny O’Neil, senior guard Tyeree Bryan, junior guard Brenton Knapper, and senior forward Camaron Tongue, all key rotation pieces for the Broncos last season. The Broncos returned four of their five starters and 72.8 percent of their scoring from 2023-24.
Added Experience:
The Broncos also bring back senior guard and former Bronco standout Carlos Stewart Jr. As a sophomore at Santa Clara, Stewart Jr. was a First Team All-WCC selection, avg.15.2 ppg. The Broncos also added West Valley College transfer Elijah Mahi, who joins the Broncos after leading West Valley College to an undefeated 33-0 season in 2023-24, capturing the state championship title, and being named California Player of the Year and winning MVP in the state tournament.
Bayou Boys:
Santa Clara has not one, but two Gatorade Louisiana Basketball Player of Year winners on the roster – Stewart (2020-21) and freshman Allen Graves (2023-24).
Preseason Poll:
The Broncos were picked to finish third in the WCC preseason poll, while Bal and Stewart Jr. were named to the Preseason First Team All-WCC.
Career Marks:
Carlos Stewart Jr. tied a career high 5 assists in the season opener against Saint Louis, while Camaron Tongue scored a career high 18 pts. Christoph Tilly made a career high two three pointers in the victory, and Elijah Mahi scored a career high 23 points vs. Bradley. Johnny O’Neil posted a career high 14 rebounds against North Dakota State. Elijah Mahi had a career high 10 rebounds against McNeese State, and Jake Ensiminger tied a career high 11 rebounds twice vs. TCU, and most recently vs. Fresno State. Tyeree Bryan added a career high five steals against the Bulldogs.
Pipeline to the Pros:
There are just five NCAA D1 men’s basketball programs that produced top-20 picks in the 2022 and 2023 NBA Drafts: Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Baylor…..and Santa Clara.
The Broncos have produced back-to-back first round selections in the form of Jalen Williams (12th overall to Oklahoma City in 2022) and Brandin Podziemski (19th overall to Golden State in 2023). Additionally, former Bronco forward Keshawn Justice was signed by the Utah Jazz in October 2023 and is currently a member of the Salt Lake Jazz.
After becoming the first Bronco to hear his name called in the NBA Draft since Steve Nash in 1996, Williams more than lived up to his lottery pick hype, finishing runner-up in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors and was named to the 2023 Rising Stars Challenge. He was even better in year two, averaging 19.1 ppg while starting 71 games and was once again voted to the Rising Stars Challenge.
Podziemski was the first WCC player taken off the board in 2023 and also turned in a fantastic rookie season, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors and being named to the Rising Stars Challenge. Podz became the first Golden State rookie since Stephen Curry (2009-10) to tally 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five or more in a single game, doing so on Dec. 12 against the Phoenix Suns.
Both Williams and Podziemski were also named to the USA Select Team in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
