STOCKTON – Mark Tollefsen scored a career high 24 points and Kruize Pinkins added 16 to lead USF to a 77-71 victory over the Pacific Tigers in the WCC opener for both schools Saturday afternoon in Stockton.
 
Freshman guard Devin Watson added 14 off the bench while Tim Derksen finished with 11 as the Dons improved to 7-6 overall and 1-0 in the West Coast Conference.
 
Matt Glover finished with eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
 
With the win, USF is now 11-3 in its last 14 conference road games.
 
USF shot 53.9 percent from the floor in the second half and made 4-of-9 of its second half three-pointers to outscore the Tigers 45-34 after intermission. The Dons also scored 16 points off 14 Tiger turnovers and converted 21 fast break points. USF was also very efficient with the ball, making only three turnovers while compiling 19 assists.
 
The Dons, which came into the game shooting just 55 percent from the line, made 16-of-20 free throws on the day.
 
T.J. Wallace scored a game high 26 points for the Tigers (8-5, 0-1), who shot 48.1 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Dons 36-30.
 
USF built an early 13-6 lead seven minutes into the game but the Tigers scored nine straight points to take a 15-13 lead with 9:55 left. Pacific led by seven points on three occasions before settling for a five point halftime cushion at 37-32.
 
Wallace drained a 3-pointer that gave Pacific a 59-53 with 7:40, but USF then went on a 8-0 run capped off by a Tollefsen three to take a 61-59 lead with 5:43 remaining. With the game tied at 63 with 4:14 left, Tollefsen drained another three to ignite a 7-0 run that gave the Dons a 70-63 lead with 1:05 left.
 
The Dons put the game away when Pinkins completed a three-point play after being fouled by David Taylor that gave USF a nine-point cushion at 75-66 with :29 remaining.    
 
All told, the Dons outscored the Tigers 24-12 over the last 7:40 of the game.
 
USF will return to action Monday when the Dons face the Saint Mary's Gaels in Moraga. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
 
Rex Walters' Post-Game Comments
 
"I thought our execution down the stretch was really good. Our rebounding over the last 5-6 minutes was real good and Devin Watson was fantastic. Matt Glover had eight points and seven assists and we made just three turnovers as a team. That's how you have to win on the road."