Santa Clara 77, Gonzaga 76: Live score recap, highlights from WCC men's basketball

Bulldogs fall to Broncos for first time in 13 years on go-ahead basket from Adama-Alpha Bal

A late floater from Adama-Alpha Bal in the final seconds lifted Santa Clara (12-6, 3-0 WCC) past the Gonzaga Bulldogs (11-5, 2-1 WCC) 77-76, for the first time in 13 years.

Bal finished with 17 points but none were bigger than the final two, as Ryan Nembhard missed a free-throw with Gonzaga up 76-75 with 12 seconds remaining, leaving enough time for Bal to race upcourt and score while drawing a foul on Nolan Hickman. The Bulldogs didn't get a shot off on their final possession.

Anton Watson carried with 32 points and nine rebounds, while Nembhard finished with 21 points, five assists and four rebounds. Gonzaga shot 47.8% from the floor and just 2-for-20 on 3-point attempts.

The loss snapped a 26-game win streak over the Broncos, who hadn't won a head-to-head meeting since 2011.

HOW TO WATCH GONZAGA VS. SANTA CLARA

Here is the live updates recap:

FINAL: Santa Clara 77, Gonzaga 76

SECOND HALF:

Santa Clara 77, Gonzaga 76 (0:04): Bal put the Broncos ahead on an and-one floater over Hickman after Nembhard missed a one-and-one free-throw the possession prior.

Gonzaga 76, Santa Clara 75 (0:14): After getting fouled by Ike, who picked up his fifth, Bal missed the first of two free-throws.

Gonzaga 76, Santa Clara 74 (0:22): Tilly got an easy score underneath from a pass by Bal. Nembhard missed a floater on the ensuing possession. 

Gonzaga 76, Santa Clara 72 (1:00) Nembhard shook Bryan for a midrange jumper to make it a two possession game in crunch time. Watson tied his career-high with 32 points after scoring on a second-chance opportunity.

Nembhard caught em 😴😴 pic.twitter.com/G4nFRt7WTR

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) January 12, 2024

Gonzaga 70, Santa Clara 70 (4:13): Ike went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line after getting fouled on an alley-oop attempt. Knapper knotted the game up at 70 with his fourth 3-pointer of the night, this time from the corner in front of the Broncos' bench. 

Gonzaga 63, Santa Clara 61 (8:00): Both sides trudged through dry spells offensively midway through the second half, as neither put the ball in the basket for nearly three minutes. Nembhard put Gonzaga ahead by five with a fastbreak score, but Bal answered with a 3-pointer the ensuing possession.

WATSON. 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/RGnSeo0hNu

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) January 12, 2024

Gonzaga 58, Santa Clara 56 (11:21): Bulldogs rattled off a 14-4 run between the two-man game of Nembhard and Huff to regain the lead for the first time since the 12:01 mark in the first half. 

Santa Clara 51, Gonzaga 42 (15:57): Back-to-back defensive breakdowns from the Bulldogs led to wide open 3-point looks from Knapper and Bryan on consecutive possessions. Watson made his first three field goal attempts of the half, including a one-legged fall-away jumper to keep Gonzaga within striking distance.

HALFTIME: Santa Clara 40, Gonzaga 34: Nembhard got a layup to go before the first half buzzer sounded, cutting the Bulldogs' deficit down to six at the break. Watson led with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field. Santa Clara outrebounded Gonzaga 27-11, including nine offensive rebounds. Gonzaga missed 11 of its 12 attempts from 3-point range.

FIRST HALF:

Santa Clara 36, Gonzaga 25 (2:44): Bal nailed Santa Clara's fifth 3-pointer of the first half on a second-chance opportunity from a missed free-throw. 

Santa Clara 30, Gonzaga 23 (3:45): Watson continued to carry Gonzaga's offense early by scoring 15 of the team's first 23 points. Santa Clara committed 11 turnovers but the Bulldogs didn't capitalize, scoring just six points off their opponent's miscues.

Santa Clara 23, Gonzaga 19 (7:44): Nembhard knocked down a midrange jumper following a pair of free-throws from Tilly. A few plays later, Brenton Knapper drilled his second 3-pointer of the night to keep the Broncos in the driver's seat. Santa Clara dominated the boards early with an 18-5 advantage on the glass.

Santa Clara 18, Gonzaga 15 (10:28): Gonzaga settled down after the early timeout with five straight field goals to weather the storm from Santa Clara. Watson got back-to-back scores in transition, including a 3-point play after getting fouled by Jake Ensminger. Tyeree Bryan answered with a 3-pointer on the other end.

Santa Clara 8, Gonzaga 2 (15:51): Bulldogs got off to a woeful start offensively, missing six of their first seven attempts from the field. Broncos went on a 6-0 scoring spurt behind two early baskets from O'Neil.