Who’s playing
San Fran. Dons @ Santa Clara Broncos
Current record: San Francisco. 14-4, Santa Clara 11-6
How to watch
What you need to know
We have an exciting West Coast matchup on our schedule as well as San Francisco. The Dons and Santa Clara Broncos are scheduled to tip off Saturday at 7 p.m. ET at the Leavy Center. The Dons are averaging 77.9 points per game this season, showing off their offensive prowess.
San Fran. We played away on Saturday and lost, but the home fans gave us all the motivation we needed on Thursday. They won against Portland by a score of 81-72.
San Francisco’s success was the result of a balanced attack with several players stepping up, but Malik Thomas led the attack with 19 points and two steals. Marcus Williams was another key player, going 8-for-12 with 17 points, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
San Fran. He smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. This strong performance is nothing new for the team, which has now recorded at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara finally got what it hoped for on Thursday, although it may have taken overtime to finish the job. Tyree Bryan made a last-minute layup with three seconds left in the third quarter to avoid Oregon State, 82-81. This is the second straight game the Broncos have won by just one point.
Much of Santa Clara’s success can be attributed to Ilya Mahi, who had 21 points, six rebounds and five assists on 10-for-15 at-bats, and Adama Alfa Val, who had 19 points. Those five assists set Mahi a career high.
San Francisco has won 11 straight games at home, improving their record to 14-4. As for Santa Clara, they’ve been incredibly good lately, winning eight of their past nine games and significantly improving on their 11-6 record this season.
Rebounding is going to be a big factor in this contest: San Fran. He has been very active this season, averaging 36.4 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Santa Clara is struggling in that department as they are averaging 38.9 points per game. We’ll see if either team can gain the upper hand as both teams fight to recover missed shots.
San Fran. Last Monday, they narrowly won 97-94 against Santa Clara and took the lead. A rematch might be a little tough for San Fran. This time, the team doesn’t have home court advantage. Let’s see if changing the venue makes a difference.
Series history
San Fran. They have won seven of their last 10 games against Santa Clara.
December 30, 2024 – San Francisco. 97 vs. Santa Clara 94 March 2, 2024 – Santa Clara 69 vs. San Francisco. 62February 10, 2024 – San Francisco. 71 vs. Santa Clara 70 March 5, 2023 – San Francisco. 93 vs. Santa Clara 87 February 4, 2023 – Santa Clara 83 vs. San Francisco. 70December 29, 2022 – Santa Clara 79 vs. San Fran. 67February 12, 2022 – San Francisco. 74 vs. Santa Clara 58 January 29, 2022 – San Francisco 88 vs. Santa Clara 85 January 21, 2021 – San Francisco 73 vs. Santa Clara 50 February 13, 2020 – San Francisco 70 vs. Santa Clara 61