The BYU men´s basketball team suffered its third conference loss of the season on Thursday night, losing 76-68 at Santa Clara.
This was the first time BYU had lost to Santa Clara since joining the West Coast Conference in 2011. It was also Santa Clara´s first win over BYU since 1972.
Eric Mika led BYU with 20 points and 8 rebounds, while guard TJ Haws contributed 15 points on the night.
The Cougars ended the game with 18 turnovers, 20 of which resulted in Santa Clara scoring.
Both teams went 23-for-52 (44 percent) from the field, but Santa Clara found its rhythm from beyond the 3-point arc. The Broncos connected on 14 3-pointers while BYU only made three.
BYU jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead before Santa Clara would begin to match baskets.
A 16-2 Santa Clara run in the middle of the first half put the Broncos up 29-19 before a strong series of successful possessions found Mika in the paint for easy shots. BYU outscored Santa Clara 34-to-16 in the paint.
Back-and-forth basketball after that led to a 34-28 halftime lead for Santa Clara.
The second half proved difficult for BYU with rushed shots, fouls and turnovers and not a single successful 3-point shot. Emery fouled out of the game and a fourth foul on Mika limited his play for the duration of the half.
BYU continually cut the Broncos’ lead to single digits throughout the half, but Santa Clara kept up the pace and kept pushing ahead.
When it appeared BYU would mount a final comeback, Santa Clara held strong. The Broncos finished the game shooting 6-for-8 from the field while BYU struggled, only connecting on four layups and five free throws over the final four minutes.
Streaks continue and end for BYU
Nick Emery extended his school record for consecutive games with a made 3-pointer to 31 games, shooting 1-for-6 from 3-point range. Mika’s streak of double-doubles ended tonight at seven games. The center needed two more rebounds to extend his streak.
The loss drops BYU to 15-7 overall, 6-3 in conference play.
The Cougars head back to the Marriott Center for three straight home games, taking on Loyola Marymount this Saturday at 7pm MST. Earlier on the evening, the BYU women´s basketball team defeated Santa Clara in double overtime 72-66 at the Marriott Center.
