No. 2 Gonzaga rallies past Santa Clara 77-63

Gonzaga's Byron Wesley, center, goes up for a shot sat Santa Clara's Denzel Johnson (20) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Gonzaga's Byron Wesley, center, goes up for a shot sat Santa Clara's Denzel Johnson (20) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Associated Press February 6, 2015 2 min read

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Byron Wesley scored 17 points and keyed a crucial second-half run that helped No. 2 Gonzaga rally for its 16th straight win with a 77-63 victory over Santa Clara on Thursday night.

Kyle Wiltjer led the way with 22 points including a dunk at the buzzer that drew boos from the crowd and Gary Bell Jr. added 16 for the Bulldogs (23-1, 11-0 West Coast Conference), who shot a season-high 69 percent from the field.

Jared Brownridge scored 25 points to lead the Broncos (11-13, 5-7), who have lost 26 straight games against ranked teams and 10 straight to the Bulldogs.

Gonzaga fell behind by six early in the second half on a 3-pointer by Brandon Clark despite shooting better than 70 percent from the field.

The Bulldogs then tightened up on defense while still converting at a torrid pace offensively and tied the game at 47 when Kevin Pangos hit a 3-pointer for his first points of the game with 14:37 left.