SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Santa Clara men's basketball team nearly closed out 2015 with signature victory, but battle-tested Gonzaga made enough plays down the stretch in the New Year's Eve contest to escape with its fifth-straight win.
Freshman Josh Perkins scored 26 points and senior Kyle Wiltjer added 20 for the hot-shooting Bulldogs, who held on for a 79-77 victory against the Broncos in Thursday afternoon's West Coast Conference game.
The Bulldogs (11-3, 3-0), ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, shot 57 percent from the floor and hit six free throws in the final 27 seconds at Leavey Center.