Santa Clara Broncos at Saint Mary's Gaels

Santa Clara beats No. 21 Saint Mary's 76-71, advances to WCC title game vs Gonzaga

The Broncos (26-7) will play No. 12 Gonzaga (29-3) in the championship game on Tuesday night. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

While the Bulldogs are safely in the tournament, Santa Clara was considered on the bubble. The Broncos entered this game No. 42 in the NCAA's NET rankings and No. 37 in Kenpom.

Saint Mary's (27-5) could take a hit in the tournament seeding, but the Gaels figure to get into the field of 68. They were No. 20 in the NET and No. 22 in KenPom.

This is the first time since 2021 that the WCC final hasn't been between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.

Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek claimed his 600th career victory, a somewhat mild upset over the Gaels, who were favored by 5 1/2 points at Sportsbook.

Elijah Mahi added 19 points for the Broncos and Allen Graves finished with 10.

Paulius Murauskas scored 26 points to lead Saint Mary's, Mikey Lewis had 23 and Andrew McKeever totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds.

There were 14 lead changes and six ties, and the largest advantage by either team was seven points.

The Broncos were clinging to a two-point lead in the closing seconds, and Gavalyugov drained a 3-pointer with 12.1 seconds left to beat the shot clock. A shot that put Santa Clara in its first WCC final since 2007.

How can I watch Santa Clara vs. Saint Mary's?

• TV Channel: Santa Clara at Saint Mary's 2021 College Basketball, week 19, is broadcasted on ESPN2.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
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