Preview: Santa Clara Looks to Continue Surge at Loyola Marymount

LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — The surging Santa Clara Broncos aim to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume when they visit the Loyola Marymount Lions in a West Coast Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at Gersten Pavilion.

Santa Clara (18-5, 7-1 WCC) enters on a five-game winning streak, including an 88-73 victory over San Francisco on Wednesday. The Broncos, ranked in the latest AP Top 25, have dominated conference play with an average margin of victory of 18.4 points during their streak.

The Lions (11-12, 2-6), meanwhile, seek to halt a four-game skid and salvage a split of the season series. Loyola Marymount fell 103-72 at Santa Clara on Jan. 10, part of a challenging conference slate.

A key matchup will feature Santa Clara’s efficient scorer Elijah Mahi against LMU’s high-volume guard Myron Amey. Mahi has been consistently productive, scoring in double figures in six of his last seven games, including a 17-point performance in the first meeting. Amey is coming off a 24-point effort in a narrow 72-69 loss to Oregon State on Wednesday, but was held to 12 points in the prior matchup with the Broncos.

Santa Clara’s offense, which averages 84.2 points per game in WCC play, is fueled by balance. Beyond Mahi, Christian Hammond (21 points vs. USF) and Allen Graves provide reliable scoring. The Broncos’ defense has also been stout, holding opponents to 66.6 points per game during their current streak.

Loyola Marymount has struggled offensively in conference losses, averaging just 64.2 points. Beyond Amey, consistent support has been scarce. The Lions will need a significant defensive improvement after allowing Santa Clara to shoot 56.7% from the field in January.

The Broncos have not lost on the road in WCC play this season. Loyola Marymount’s last home victory was a double-overtime win over San Francisco on Jan. 8.

Saturday’s contest tips off at 5 p.m. PST. Santa Clara visits Pacific next Wednesday, while Loyola Marymount travels to San Francisco on Tuesday.