SANTA CLARA, Calif. – A tough shooting night for the Pacific men's basketball program resulted in a 79-53 decision in favor of Santa Clara on Thursday at the Leavey Center.
 
The Tigers (6-21, 0-12 WCC) shot 19-of-59 (.322) from the field and 2-of-13 (.154) from three-point range. It included a cold 0-for-6 mark from long distance in the second half.
 
Senior Donovan Williams led Pacific with 16 points and was 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Graduate Greg Outlaw, who'd missed the last four games due to injury, returned to the lineup to score 10 points.
 
Santa Clara (16-10, 7-4 WCC) garnered a pair of double-doubles. Jake Ensminger finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnny O'Niel ended with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Broncos got off to a hot start and jumped out to a 20-9 lead at the 12:29 mark. Santa Clara extended it to 29-12 with 8:56 to go.
 
Outlaw provided a spark for the Tigers off the bench and scored three consecutive baskets to trim it to 34-22 with 6:12 left. After Santa Clara went back up by 16, sophomore Moe Odum hit a three in the final minute but a pair of free throws by the Broncos gave them a 46-31 edge at the break.
 
Pacific opened the half on a 6-0 run after a lay-up by junior Cam Denson, a pair of free throws by Williams and a jumper by Odum made it 46-37 with 17:59 to go.
 
The Tigers trailed 49-39 when the Broncos scored the next six points to rebuild a 55-39 advantage with 13:09 remaining. Santa Clara extended it to 60-41 at the 10:28 mark. The Broncos created further separation in the final five minutes.
 
The Tigers will remain on the road Saturday when they close out the weekend with a 6 p.m. game at Gonzaga. Pacific is going for its second-ever win against Gonzaga and the first since Dec. 23, 1976. The Tigers are going for their first-ever road win at Gonzaga in school history.
 

M. Odum with the steal and finds G. Outlaw in transition who hangs and scores.#PacificProud pic.twitter.com/KW0o4NDTty

— Pacific Men's Basketball (@PacificMensBB) February 16, 2024

NOTES
- Santa Clara avenged a home loss to Pacific as the Tigers won 95-89 at the Leavey Center last season.
 
- Pacific only committed five turnovers in the game which matched its season best.
 
- Williams registered his 18th career double-figure scoring game and 12th this season. It was his second in a row after missing the previous two games due to injury. Williams averages team-highs of 11.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in conference.
 
- Outlaw tallied his 29th career double-digit scoring performance. His 10 points were his second-most this season only behind a 13-point outing against Northern Arizona on Dec. 2, 2023.
 
- Over the last three games, senior Jalen Brown is 11-of-17 (.647) from the field and 9-of-14 (.643) from beyond the arc.
 
Stay Social
For all the latest on Pacific Men's Basketball, be sure to follow the team on X (@PacificMensBB), Instagram (@PacificMensBB) and "like" the team's official Facebook page (Pacific Men's Basketball).
 
#PacificProud