Elijah Mahi, Aleksandar Gavalyugov score 19 each as Santa Clara beats McNeese 79-67

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Elijah Mahi and Aleksandar Gavalyugov scored 19 points apiece as Santa Clara beat McNeese 79-67 on Friday night.

Mahi shot 7 for 13 (2 for 5 from 3-point range) and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Broncos (2-0). Gavalyugov shot 7 for 13, including 5 for 8 from beyond the arc. Christian Hammond had 12 points.

The Cowboys (1-1) were led by Larry Johnson with 18 points. Tyshawn Archie and DJ Richards added 11 points apiece.

Santa Clara took the lead with 3:00 left in the first half and did not trail again. Gavalyugov led their team in scoring with 13 points in the first half for a 37-33 advantage at the break. Santa Clara pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend a five-point lead to 13 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.