SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Johnny O’Neil scored 17 points off of the bench and Santa Clara beat Washington State 93-65 on Thursday night to spoil LeJuan Watts’ triple-double.
Watts, a redshirt sophomore from Fresno, Calif., finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to become the second player in Washington State history to record a triple-double.
Adama Bal went 6 of 12 from the field (3 for 7 from 3-point range) to add 16 points for the Broncos (14-7, 6-2 West Coast Conference). Carlos Stewart shot 5 of 10 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 4 from the line to finish with 14 points.
Ethan Price added 16 points and Rihards Vavers had 11 points for the Cougars (15-6, 5-3).
Santa Clara led 49-38 at halftime, with Bal racking up 12 points. Santa Clara extended its lead to 85-62 during the second half, fueled by a 17-2 scoring run.