STOCKTON, Calif. – With under 42 seconds left in the game the University of San Francisco men's basketball team found itself trialing host Pacific by three.  The Dons offense was struggling all evening to get into their half court set but when it really mattered USF made the plays necessary to earn a hard fought 53-52 win on the road.
 
In a contest that featured seven ties and eight lead changes, the game came down to the final three possessions. The first, with Pacific leading by three, Frankie Ferrari drove to the right and sent a dime to Jordan Ratinho on the back cut who got the layup and the foul.  The traditional three-point play tied the game up at 52.
 
The second came with the game tied and Pacific playing for a final possession, when the Dons defense created a turnover by the Tigers giving USF one last chance to get the win in regulation. 
 
The final series came with Charles Minlend willing himself to the basket with a UOP defender draped all over him to get the foul and go to the line and converting the first of two, giving USF the lead for good with 1.2 left on the clock.  Pacific couldn't get a shot off before the horn giving the Dons the win.
 
Pacific (11-9, 1-4 WCC) did a tremendous job keeping the Dons out of sync all evening.  USF finished with 53 points, 23 coming in the second half.  The Dons shot 41.2 percent from the field, going 21-for-51 but was just 5-for-18 from beyond the arc. 
 
To their credit, USF played some spectacular defense as well.  The Tigers entered the night averaging 72.8 points per game but was held to just 52 and had no players in double figures.  Roberto Gallinat, who scored 41 against the Dons last year in Stockton, was held to nine points on the evening.
 
USF had just two players in double figures.  Ratinho led all scorers with 15 points, going 4-for-8 from the field and 3-for-6 from 3-point range.  Minlend joined him 14 points, going 6-for-13 from the floor. 
 
GAME NOTES

• With the win, USF has won six-straight over the Tigers. Head coach Kyle Smith has yet to lose to UOP.  Overall, the Dons are now 72-34 all-time against the Tigers.
• The Dons improve to 3-1 in the WCC for the first time since the 2013-14 season.  That year, USF finished 13-5 in the WCC en route to a 21-12 record and a date in the NIT.
• The last time the Dons won a game by scoring less than 55 came last season, when USF defeated Radford 52-41 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
• USF started the game tonight with an 8-1 advantage in rebounds, but finished the game minus two in rebounds, 27-25.  The Dons are now 4-2 when outrebounded by their opponents in 2018-19.
• The 53 points is a season-low for USF, the 30 points scored in the first half and the 23 points scored in the second were the fewest they have scored in either half. 
• For just the second time this season, someone other than Frankie Ferrari led the Dons in assists.  Jamaree Bouyea finished the evening with a career-high four assists.
• Of the Dons 25 rebounds, 10 were on the offensive side of the ball, USF converted those 10 offensive boards into eight second chance points.

 
NEXT UP
The Dons return home on Saturday night and will host BYU at 8:00 p.m. on NBCS BA.  A very limited number of tickets are available for Saturday's game. Click here to take advantage of today's ticket promotion.