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BYU's Spencer Johnson (20) handles the ball against Santa Clara in a men's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Rudi Williams (3) drives to the basket against Santa Clara during a men's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Fousseyni Traore (right) shoots a jump hook during a men's college basketball game against Santa Clara at the Marriott Center on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Coming into Thursday’s night game against BYU, the Santa Clara Broncos had never won a West Coast Conference game in the Marriott Center (0-9).

Whatever magic the arena had over Santa Clara was never in evidence as the visitors romped to an easier-than-it-looks 81-74 victory in front of an alleged crowd of 13,321 mostly disappointed and bewildered fans.

At first glance, the final score would indicate another hard-fought, single-digit loss for the Cougars. But after falling behind by 10 points midway through the first half BYU trailed by as many as 20 and never made any significant run to get back into the game.

It was one of the worst performances of the season for the Cougars, as non-competitive as they’ve been at home under Mark Pope, who was looking for his 50th win the Marriott Center.

There was no life, no intensity and no giddy-up from the guys in blue.

“Our defensive side of the ball has kind of abandoned us right now,” Pope admitted. “They (Santa Clara) hurt us in transition early. Our transition defensive effort and focus was really wanting.”

Rudi Williams led BYU with 20 points and Fousseyni Traore logged a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Cougars shot just 40% (28 of 69) from the field and was a miserable 5 of 23 (22%) from the 3-point line while also missing eight of 21 free throws. Spencer Johnson added 11 points and Gideon George had 10.

Brandin Podziemski led Santa Clara (8-5 WCC, 20-8 overall) with 26 points and added 12 rebounds. Keshawn Justice was the only other Bronco in double figures with 19.

The first half looked exactly like a game between a team that had won three in a row (Santa Clara) and a team that has lost its last two (BYU). The Cougar defense had matchup problems and failed to get back on several occasions. On the offensive end, BYU missed a ton of open shots and looked uncomfortable in their own gym.

“We were a train wreck in our transition defense, which is really disappointing,” Pope said. “It’s been a huge emphasis these last couple of week. Clearly, I’m doing a very poor job of translating that into games. It was difficult to watch, difficult to be a part of and difficult for us to digest.”

Podziemski scored 12 points early, getting whatever shots he wanted to help his team to a 22-12 lead less than nine minutes into the game. A 3-pointer by Carlos Stewart pushed the visitors to a 29-16 advantage with 8:59 to go.

BYU managed to trim the deficit to six, 32-26, on a Traore basket and two free throws from Atiki Ally Atiki with 4:02 left in the half. The Broncos took control with a 15-4 finish to end the first half, scoring the final nine points for a commanding 47-30 lead at the break.

Podziemski scored 14 points to lead Santa Clara (8-5 WCC, 20-8 overall) to 54% (19 of 35) from the field. The Broncos scored 14 points off of just six Cougar turnovers and led in fast break points 10-2.

George led BYU with six points (on 3 of 8 from the field) and Williams scored six points off the bench. The Cougars were a dismal 39% (14 of 36) from the field and missed all seven 3-pointers they attempted.

Justice banged in a 3-pointer to open the second half and Santa Clara led by 20, 50-30. BYU managed to trim the deficit to ten points, 64-54, with 8:52 to play on a 3-pointer by Williams. But the possessions that followed defined the game for the Cougars: Two turnovers, a missed open 3-pointer, and 1 of 3 from the free throw line. Instead of cutting deeper in the the Broncos lead and getting what had been a lethargic crowd into the game, BYU fumbled away any opportunity to make a true run at the Broncos. A late 3-pointer by Trey Stewart, who provided some spark off the bench and contributed nine points, accounted for the closer-than-it-really-was final margin of seven points.

Scouting Report

BYU (6-8, 16-13) has a difficult game on Saturday at No. 17 Saint Mary’s, where the Cougars have won only once in 10 tries since joining the WCC.

The Gaels held off a stubborn San Diego team 62-59 on Thursday to move to 12-1 in league play and 23-4 overall.

Saint Mary’s edged BYU 57-56 in Provo on Jan. 28 on a last-second shot by freshman Aiden Mahaney. A few weeks later, these are two teams headed in very opposite directions: The Gaels have won 14 of their past 15 games and will very likely be the No. 1 seed in the WCC Tournament. The Cougars have now lost six of their past eight contests and are fighting to stay out of the opening rounds WCC tournament play as the No. 7-10 seeds.

“I’ve got so much confidence in this group,” Pope said. “I have every expectation that we’ll go down there to the toughest venue in our league right now ready for the challenge of meeting their competitive level and to keep growing. We want to give a great, compassionate, heartfelt performance against a team that wants to take that all away from you.”

Men’s College Basketball

BYU (6-8, 16-13) at No. 17 Saint Mary’s (12-1, 23-4)

Saturday, 8 p.m. MT

University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.

TV: ESPN2

Radio: Sirius XM 143/BYU Radio.org/BYU Radio app/KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: Saint Mary’s leads the overall series 17-16. … BYU hasn’t won in Moraga since 2014. … The Gaels have won 14 of their past 15 games. … The last Cougar victory in the series was in 2020, an 81-79 win at the Marriott Center. … Saint Mary’s defeated BYU 57-56 in Provo on Jan. 28.

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