Gonzaga Rallies as Streak Hits 10

Blake Stepp had 21 points and eight assists to lead a second-half comeback and No. 10 Gonzaga won its 10th in a row, a 79-63 victory over Santa Clara on Saturday night.

Cory Violette added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs (17-2, 7-0 West Coast Conference), who defeated the Broncos for the sixth consecutive time. But they had to work for it.

A sellout crowd of 4,500 watched Santa Clara (12-10, 4-3) lose at home for the first time in five conference games in a physical battle between league rivals.

With 7:44 left, Violette and Travis Niesen got tangled while battling for a rebound and Niesen landed hard on the court after Violette’s inadvertent headlock. Doron Perkins jumped in to help and pushed Violette, and both players were given a technical foul.

Perkins and Niesen each had 11 points for Santa Clara.

It was only the second sellout in the Leavey Center, and the first since the Broncos last defeated the Bulldogs, 84-71, on Feb. 22, 2001.

The Bulldogs’ two losses came against No. 2 Stanford and No. 3 Saint Joseph’s -- the only two remaining unbeaten Division I teams.

Gonzaga needed a strong second half to avoid an upset.

Kyle Bankhead scored all 12 of his points after halftime, making back-to-back three-point baskets during an 11-0 run that secured the victory. Bankhead was four of seven from three-point range. Gonzaga’s leading scorer, Ronny Turiaf, was held to eight points, half his average.

The Bulldogs came out of halftime with an 8-0 run and had another 7-0 spurt midway through the second half.

Santa Clara committed six turnovers in the first seven minutes of the second half and shot only 35%.

Santa Clara forged a 38-36 halftime lead, the first time Gonzaga had trailed at the break in conference play.

Gonzaga managed only three shots in the first 4 1/2 minutes and trailed, 13-6.