St. Mary's Fends Off Santa Clara

The 8-1 St. Mary's Gaels, riding their best start in team history, beat Santa Clara 54-50 last night for a fourth straight victory. Diamon Simpson, a 61% career free-throw shooter, made two clutch shots to break a tie in the game's final minute, and Tron Smith sank two more for good measure, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Smith went 4-for-5 for 15 points, with Simpson bringing in 12 for the Gaels. The 21st-ranked team struggled for much of the game, but capitalized on 18 Bronco turnovers and put together some effective teamwork. Santa Clara mainly let John Bryant do the scoring, but his 21 points and 12 rebounds weren't enough on their own to effect a Broncos upset. (More NCAA basketball stories.)