SAN FRANCISCO – Neither side led by more seven in a game that featured 18 lead changes and 10 ties.  Ultimately, the five point halftime deficit proved to be too much as the University of San Francisco men's basketball team fell to visiting Arizona State 71-67 on Tuesday evening. 
 
The Dons (7-2) finished with four players in double figures and was led by Jamaree Bouyea's game-high 17 points.  Arizona State (5-2) countered with three in double figures led by Remello White and Remy Martin's 14. White finished the night with a double-double adding 11 rebounds to his 14 points.  ASU's bench was the difference as they outscored the Dons' reserves 29-23.
 
Joining Bouyea in double figures for USF was Khalil Shabazz who finished with 15 points, Charles Minlend had 11, and Josh Kunen had his best game of the season recording his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.  The Dons shot 36.4 percent from the field going 24-for-66 – a sluggish first half saw them shoot 31.0 percent going 9-for-29 from the field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• USF opened the game 1-for-5 from the floor, during that stretch the Sun Devils jumped out to a slight lead thanks to a quick start from inside the paint.  After the first media the Dons' bench changed the momentum of the game.  In back-to-back series the Dons got blocks from Dzmitry Ryuny and Remu Raitanen and on the ensuing offensive possessions got a three to spark an 8-0 run.
 
• The Dons led just a little over four minutes in the opening half.  The Sun Devils retook the lead when Kimani Lawrence grabbed a board and got the layup.  The two sides traded points and turnovers the remainder of the half with Arizona State going into the locker room up 35-30.  Both Martin and White finished the first half with 10 points each.  
 
• USF's bench accounted for 13 of the Dons 30 points in the first period with Shabazz scoring eight of his 15 points to lead the Dons at the intermission.  USF shot 31 percent from the field in the opening half, going 9-for-29 from the field.  From beyond the arc the Dons were just 4-for-15. The Sun Devils shot much better getting a bulk of their shots inside the paint.  They finished the half 14-for-33 from the field.
 
• Out of the break the Dons went on an 8-0 thanks to triples by Bouyea and Minlend.  A steal in the open court led to a fast break layup or Bouyea resulting in a quick timeout by the Sun Devil's bench.
 
With 17:08 in the game, USF had a four-point lead, their largest of the game. The two sides traded the lead several times with USF taking a three point advantage with 6:16 in the contest in a layup by Jimbo Lull. With the game tied at 64 with 3:30 left to play, ASU hit a pair of free throws to retake the lead 66-64 and never looked back.
 
NOTABLE NUMBERS
0-2: The Dons fall to 0-2 on the year when they trail at the half.
2-2: Josh Kunen went 2-for-2 from the free throw line tonight.  The Dons' freshmen is now 12-for-13 to begin his career.
6: USF was credited with a season-high six blocks on the night.  Lull and Bouyea had two, with Remu Raitanen and Dzmitry Ryuny adding one each.
10/11: With 10 rebounds by Kunen and 11 rebounds by Lull the Dons had two players with 10 or more rebounds in the same game since Bouyea and Shabazz did it in the win over Yale on Nov. 11.
13: Jamaree Bouyea scored 13 of his game-high 17 in the second half. This season, more than half of Bouyea's 138 points have come after the intermission.
 
NEXT UP
The Dons will not have to wait long to get back to action, they host California tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m.  The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.