LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — In a stunning display of second-half efficiency, the Gonzaga Bulldogs overcame a halftime deficit to defeat the Santa Clara Broncos 79-68 in a West Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament semifinal on Tuesday night at Orleans Arena.

A crowd of 6,517 watched as the top-seeded Bulldogs, who improved to 30-3, were held to just 29 points in a disjointed first half. The fourth-seeded Broncos, now 26-8, dictated the pace and led by four at the break, 33-29, behind the early scoring of Christian Hammond.

The game’s defining shift occurred immediately after halftime. Gonzaga emerged from the locker room with a transformed offensive approach, attacking the basket with precision and capitalizing on Santa Clara’s missed shots. The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 15-5 run, seizing a lead they would not relinquish. Gonzaga’s 50-point second-half outburst was a masterclass in offensive execution, starkly contrasting their first-half struggles.

The statistical disparity told the story of the turnaround. Gonzaga scored its 79 points on just 60 possessions, an elite offensive rating of 131.8. Santa Clara, while scoring 68 points, required 68 possessions to do so, resulting in a rating of 100.3. The Bulldogs shot a blistering 52.8% from the field for the game, including 10 of 25 from three-point range. The Broncos, meanwhile, were hampered by a 38.2% shooting performance and connected on only 9 of 34 attempts from beyond the arc.

Gonzaga’s offensive surge was a collective effort, led by the backcourt duo of Mario Saint-Supery and Tyon Grant-Foster. Saint-Supery, a guard from Malaga, Spain, scored 21 points and dished out four assists, hitting critical three-pointers to stifle Santa Clara rallies. Grant-Foster, from Kansas City, Kansas, added 20 points and was a constant force in transition and on the offensive glass.

Davis Fogle of Gonzaga orchestrated the offense with a team-high six assists to go with 13 points, while forward Graham Ike provided a steady interior presence with 15 points, two blocks, and a game-high 40 minutes.

Santa Clara was led by the dynamic scoring of guard Christian Hammond. The Denver native poured in a game-high 24 points, keeping the Broncos within striking distance throughout the second half. Forward Allen Graves added 11 points and three assists, and 7-foot-1 center Bukky Oboye contributed eight points off the bench.

Despite the loss, Santa Clara competed fiercely, winning the battle on the offensive boards 13-12 and forcing Gonzaga into eight turnovers while committing only nine themselves. The Broncos also recorded seven steals. However, they could not counter Gonzaga’s overwhelming shooting efficiency and the Bulldogs’ ability to generate easier scoring opportunities.

The victory extends Gonzaga’s season and advances the Bulldogs to the conference tournament championship game. For Santa Clara, a 26-win season that included a regular-season victory over Saint Mary’s and a competitive series against Gonzaga likely secures a strong position for postseason tournament consideration, though their hopes for an automatic bid are ended.

The most pivotal segment of the contest was unquestionably the opening minutes of the second half. Gonzaga, trailing and visibly out of rhythm, needed a statement to start the period. They delivered precisely that. A quick three-pointer from Mario Saint-Supery, followed by aggressive drives and finishes from Tyon Grant-Foster and Graham Ike, erased the deficit in a matter of possessions. This explosive 15-5 run, fueled by stops and scores in rapid succession, fundamentally changed the game’s momentum. It demonstrated Gonzaga’s championship-caliber ability to flip a switch, imposed their preferred tempo on Santa Clara, and placed the Broncos in a reactionary mode from which they never fully recovered. That five-minute stretch was the game within the game, where the Bulldogs’ superior offensive firepower and execution decisively took control.