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2h ago

Santa Clara Beats No. 21 Saint Mary's to Reach WCC Final Against Gonzaga

Herb Sendek records career win No. 600 to keep Santa Clara one win from the league's automatic NCAA bid.

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Santa Clara Broncos’ Allen Graves (22) takes a shot against Saint Mary’s Gaels’ Dillan Shaw (11) in the first half at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Overview

  • Sash Gavalyugov scored 23 points and hit a dagger 3-pointer with 12.1 seconds left to seal the 76-71 semifinal win in Las Vegas.
  • The game featured 14 lead changes and six ties, with neither team leading by more than seven points.
  • Santa Clara (26-7) advances to Tuesday night's championship game against No. 12 Gonzaga, which carries the conference's automatic NCAA berth for the winner.
  • The Broncos reached their first WCC final since 2007, strengthening a résumé that entered the night at No. 42 in NET and No. 37 in KenPom.
  • Elijah Mahi added 19 points and Allen Graves had 10 for Santa Clara, while Saint Mary's got 26 from Paulius Murauskas and 23 from Mikey Lewis in a loss that ends the usual Gonzaga–Saint Mary's title pairing for the first time since 2021.