Santa Clara fans storm court after win over Gonzaga

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KRON) — Santa Clara men’s basketball edged No. 23 Gonzaga in a thriller on Thursday night, sending Broncos fans spewing onto the court after the final buzzer. Gonzaga had previously won 26 straight games against Santa Clara, dating back to 2011. Santa Clara (12 6) won the game 77 76, sealing it in the game’s final seconds by stealing a Gonzaga pass.

The Broncos went ahead with four seconds remaining on a layup by star forward Adama Bal. Santa Clara pulls off the impressive 77 76 win over Gonzaga defeating the top 25 team for the first time in a long time, fans cleared the stands and hit the floor! pic.twitter.com/CKmwatcI4R SCU took a 38 25 lead in the first half, but Gonzaga (11 5) cut it to six points by halftime.

The Bulldogs eventually took a lead with 11:37 remaining in the first half, but Santa Clara kept the game close and stole it in the final seconds. Bal, a transfer from Arizona who is the Broncos’ leading scorer this season, scored a team high 17 points. Four of his teammates also scored in double figures.

Gonzaga’s Anton Watson totaled 32 points, nine rebounds and six steals. The epic victory happened on a night when the Santa Clara program honored its most legendary player. Steve Nash was in the building, appeared on the ESPN broadcast, and many fans in the crowd donned his jersey. Santa Clara remains undefeated in WCC play with the victory.

Gonzaga will have a chance to get its revenge on Feb. 24 when Santa Clara visits Spokane..