Hammond leads Santa Clara against No. 8 Gonzaga after 21-point outing

By Canadian Press on January 8, 2026.

Santa Clara Broncos (13-4, 4-0 WCC) at Gonzaga Bulldogs (16-1, 4-0 WCC)

Spokane, Washington; Thursday, 11:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Santa Clara plays No. 8 Gonzaga after Christian Hammond scored 21 points in Santa Clara’s 98-70 victory against the San Diego Toreros.

The Bulldogs have gone 7-0 at home. Gonzaga is 14-1 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 10.2 turnovers per game.

The Broncos are 4-0 against WCC opponents. Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC with 18.6 assists per game led by Jake Ensminger averaging 3.7.

Gonzaga’s average of 7.5 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.7 more made shots on average than the 6.8 per game Santa Clara gives up. Santa Clara averages 15.1 more points per game (82.5) than Gonzaga allows (67.4).

The Bulldogs and Broncos square off Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Braden Huff is scoring 18.1 points per game and averaging 5.5 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Graham Ike is averaging 14.9 points and 7.3 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Hammond is averaging 17 points for the Broncos. Elijah Mahi is averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulldogs: 9-1, averaging 89.2 points, 37.5 rebounds, 20.5 assists, 8.3 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.0 points per game.

Broncos: 7-3, averaging 84.1 points, 30.7 rebounds, 18.9 assists, 9.5 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.7 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press