SANTA CLARA -- Jock Landale had 20 points and 11 rebounds and No. 21 Saint Mary's held off a late charge by Santa Clara for a 72-59 victory Saturday night.
The Gaels (19-2, 9-1 West Coast Conference) won their fourth straight game and beat Santa Clara for the 14th time in their past 16 meetings.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Emmett Naar added 15 points and nine assists for Saint Mary's, which led 53-37 with 10 minutes left before the Broncos rallied within 55-50 with six minutes remaining. The Gaels made 11 of 12 free throws in the final five minutes to secure the victory.
Nate Kratch led Santa Clara (12-11, 6-4) with 19 points, including 14 in the first half. Broncos senior Jared Brownridge, a 2,000-point career scorer and No. 4 this season in the WCC at 18.8 per game, made just one of his first 11 shots against defense by Joe Rahon and finished with 13 points.
The Gaels made 11 of their first 16 shots to lead 26-11, but Santa Clara closed strong, pulling within 35-30 by halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Saint Mary's: The Gaels kept pace one game behind WCC leader Gonzaga and moved within one victory of 20 wins for a 10th straight season.
Santa Clara: After beating BYU two nights earlier, it remains alone in fourth place in the WCC after losing for just the second time in seven games.
POLL IMPLICATIONS:
Even with two victories this week, Saint Mary's figures to remain at or around its current spot at No. 21. The Gaels don't get another chance to make a major impression on Top 25 voters until their Feb. 11 home game against unbeaten Gonzaga.
UP NEXT:
Saint Mary's visits Pacific on Thursday. The Gaels led by as many as 19 points on the way to beating the Tigers 62-50 on Jan. 19 in Moraga.
Santa Clara plays Thursday at Portland. The Broncos beat the Pilots 70-42 on Jan. 5 at Santa Clara as Brownridge passed 2,000 points for his career.