Tilly Shines Bright Amidst Broncos’ Narrow Loss at LMU

LOS ANGELES – The Santa Clara men’s basketball squad (12-7, 4-2) succumbed to the LMU Lions (10-8, 2-4) 57-54 on Thursday night at the Gersten Pavilion. The Broncos fought tenaciously in a closely contested game and had an opportunity to equalize at the end, but ultimately came up just short. Christoph Tilly achieved a career-high 25 points in the defeat, matching the team high with his fourth 20-point game this season, successfully making 10 field goals, which equals the most by a Bronco this year.
 
HOW IT UNFOLDED:

• The Broncos faced challenges early, missing their first five three-pointers, but a 7-2 burst capped off by consecutive layups from Elijah Mahi and Brenton Knapper put the Broncos ahead 14-8, prompting an LMU timeout.
• However, SCU endured nearly seven minutes without a basket, failing to convert on seven consecutive shots, as the Lions netted 15 straight points to take a nine-point lead. The Broncos revitalized towards the end of the half, mounting an 8-0 run to reduce the Lions’ advantage to three at halftime.
• Christoph Tilly spearheaded the rally in the second half, scoring seven consecutive points to elevate the Broncos to a 37-34 lead, inducing another LMU timeout. Following the break, the Broncos struggled yet again, going four long minutes without a score while LMU capitalized with a 10-0 run to lead 45-39.
• A layup from Jake Ensminger and a free throw from Tilly concluded a 7-0 outburst by the Broncos, allowing them to reclaim the lead with seven minutes remaining. Both teams exchanged baskets until two free throws from Carlos Stewart Jr. put the Broncos ahead by one as they approached the last media timeout.
• A layup from Alex Merkviladze shifted the lead back to the Lions, but a jumper from Adama-Alpha Bal restored the advantage to the Broncos. Two free throws from Caleb Stone-Carrawell, who led the Lions with 19 points, put LMU ahead by one with 40 seconds left.
• On the ensuing drive, Bal charged towards the the basket but missed the shot, and Merkviladze secured the rebound, converting two free throws to extend LMU’s lead to three.
• The Broncos had two attempts at a game-tying three-pointer on the final possession, yet were unable to capitalize, ultimately losing 57-54.

STATISTICS:

• Christoph Tilly recorded a career-best 25 points, matching the team high with his fourth 20-point game this season, converting 10 field goals, the highest by a Bronco this year.
• Adama-Alpha Bal matched the team high with his 14th game of the season scoring in double digits, contributing 14 points.
• The Broncos dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Lions 38-32, falling to 11-3 this season when winning the rebounding battle.
• This marked Santa Clara’s lowest scoring performance of the season and their fewest points since tallying 49 against Saint Mary’s on Jan. 13, 2024.

POSTGAME THOUGHTS:
 

Coach Sendek reflects on tonight’s match with @PassarelliVoice pic.twitter.com/OfPLw4pmUN

— Santa Clara Men’s Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) January 17, 2025

UPCOMING: The Broncos journey to Spokane, Wash. for a contest against #16 and conference co-leader Gonzaga. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+, and can be listened to on Sidearm Streaming here.