SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Byron Wesley scored 17 points and keyed a crucial second-half run that helped No. 2 Gonzaga rally for its 16th straight win with a 77-63 victory over Santa Clara on Thursday night.
Kyle Wiltjer led the way with 22 points including a dunk at the buzzer that drew boos from the crowd and Gary Bell Jr. added 16 for the Bulldogs (23-1, 11-0 West Coast Conference), who shot a season-high 69 percent from the field.
Jared Brownridge scored 25 points to lead the Broncos (11-13, 5-7), who have lost 26 straight games against ranked teams and 10 straight to the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga fell behind by six early in the second half on a 3-pointer by Brandon Clark despite shooting better than 70 percent from the field.
The Bulldogs then tightened up on defense while still converting at a torrid pace offensively and tied the game at 47 when Kevin Pangos hit a 3-pointer for his first points of the game with 14:37 left.
Wesley then scored the next five points to give Gonzaga the lead for good. The Bulldogs went on a 16-3 run overall as the Broncos missed eight of nine shots to end their upset bid.
Bell started the game quickly, making three straight 3-pointers to give Gonzaga a 21-10 lead less than 7 minutes into the game. But the Broncos rallied behind Brownridge and a string of Bulldogs turnovers to take the lead at halftime.
Brownridge hit a 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 run that gave Santa Clara its first lead of the game. Brownridge scored the final 12 points of the half for Broncos, including a layup that made it 36-34 at the break.
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