Dons storm back for win; 6 players ejected after scrum
Santa Clara and USF met for the 234th time Saturday night on the Hilltop. It’s hard to imagine any of the previous 233 meetings could match the drama, intensity and excitement of what transpired Saturday evening.
Each team lost three players to ejections following an ugly incident in the second half. Santa Clara used a 22-0 run in the first half to take a 19-point lead.
The Dons were still down by seven with less than a minute and a half left, but somehow, some way, pulled out a 71-70 stunner.
“The first thing I’ll say is how proud I am of our team,” USF head coach Chris Gerlufsen said. “That was a wild game.”
Tempers flared with 11:51 left in the second half and the Broncos leading 50-46. Santa Clara’s Camaron Tongue got called for an offensive foul as he set a hard screen on an unsuspecting Isaiah Hawthorne, and the USF forward fell to the floor.
As players converged around Hawthorne, USF’s Marcus Williams came from behind Tongue and threw his left shoulder into Tongue’s right shoulder, knocking Tongue to the floor. That escalated the incident as players from both benches got near the fray. Hawthorne and Santa Clara’s Carlos Marshall Jr. began jawing with each other.
After a lengthy review, the officials ejected three players from each team, either for what they did in the incident or simply for leaving the bench. For Santa Clara, it was guards Jalen Benjamin and Marshall Jr. and center Christoph Tilly. For USF, it was Hawthorne and guards Robby Beasley and Williams.
Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek and Gerlufsen each was called for a technical foul.
“Some unfortunate stuff happened in that second half that I’m not proud of,” Gerlufsen said. “From our team’s perspective, we’ve got to handle ourselves better in that moment. I’m sure Santa Clara would say the same thing.”
Sendek declined to be interviewed after the game.
Gerlufsen said, “I do know that it all started because of the illegal screen, but our guys, our bench, we have to respond in a different manner when that happens. Nothing good comes from reacting the wrong way.
“To have three guys ejected from the game is just not smart, and we need to be smarter in those moments, because it’s too important.”
Tensions remained high as the Broncos stayed in front until the final seconds.
With 15 ticks left, USF’s Ryan Beasley hit two foul shots to cut the Dons’ deficit to 70-68. On the ensuing possession, Santa Clara’s Ryan Ensminger lost the ball in the backcourt.
Jonathan Mogbo got the loose ball and was fouled.
He hit the first foul shot but missed the second. USF’s Mike Sharavjamts grabbed the rebound. He maneuvered into the lane for a jumper that was off the mark, but Mogbo was there for the rebound and he got fouled with 1.4 ticks left.
After he made the first foul shot to tie the game, Santa Clara called timeout. Mogbo remained poised. He said he was “just having confidence going to the line. Standing up there strong, making the free throw. Saw the first one go in, so it was great.”
Mogbo returned to the line and his foul shot hit the front rim and then bounced gently off the backboard and through the net. It was 71-70, USF.
After a USF timeout, Santa Clara executed an excellent inbounds play. Ensminger threw a long pass to Francisco Caffaro, who made a short pass to Tyeree Bryan at the freethrow line. His jumper was short and the Broncos had come up short.
“Once in a while, one of those go in,” Santa Clara assistant coach Scott Garson said, “and all of the sudden, you’re celebrating and it changes everybody’s mood.”
USF (20-6, 9-2 WCC) moved into sole possession of second place in the conference and got to enjoy an on-court celebration with its fans. Santa Clara (15-10, 6-4) absorbed its third straight loss.
The Broncos already were without starting guard Adama-Alpha Bal because of a leg injury. Bal came into Saturday leading Santa Clara in scoring at 15.2 points per game. Santa Clara then lost guard Brenton Knapper to an apparent leg injury early in the second half.
“The effort level by our team was tremendous,” Garson said, “considering how many guys we were down.”
USF led 14-11 seven minutes into the game before Santa Clara scored the next 22 — not a misprint — points.
The Dons ended the half on a 15-6 run and trailed 39-29 at the break. Mogbo’s winning foul shot gave USF its first lead since it was up 14-11.
“It wasn’t pretty by any stretch,” Gerlufsen said, “but it was gritty and it was tough — and I’ll take that any day of the week.”
Briefly: USF’s Malik Thomas scored a gamehigh 17 points. Mogbo had 16, all in the second half, and added five steals. … Ensminger, a 6-foot-9 redshirt freshman from Ulm, Germany, had a doubledouble with 10 points and 11 rebounds. He also had a game-high four assists in his first start. … The Santa Clara-USF series began in 1909. The Broncos lead the series 118-116. The teams meet again at the Leavey Center on March 2, the final day of the regular season.