BYU leads Santa Clara, 34-31, at halftime

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — BYU is having a tough time pulling away from the West Coast Conference's last-place team.

Noah Hartsock has scored 13 points and Brandon Davies has 11, but the Cougars lead Santa Clara by just three, 34-31, at halftime at the Leavey Center.

BYU led by as many as nine points, but the Broncos outscored the Cougars, 8-2, over the final 2 ½ minutes of the half.

Matt Carlino, who is playing with a mild sprain in his right knee and is wearing a brace, is scoreless at halftime. He poured in a career-high 30 points last Thursday at San Francisco. Carlino, who hasn't attempted a shot, saw limited action in the first half after picking up two fouls.