Box Score RENO, Nev. – Just under 16 minutes into the game
Jamaree Bouyea hit the Dons first bucket of the contest. The four minute drought by the Dons' offense was not indicative of the final outcome as USF blew past Nevada 85-60 on Wednesday night at the Lawlor Events Center.
A 3-point field goal by
Taavi Jurkatamm gave the Dons a 9-7 lead with 12:14 to play USF never looked back. The Dons (3-2) led for over 32 minutes and held the Wolf Pack (3-1) to their fewest points of the season.
"We played a great game," said head coach
Todd Golden. "That was our best defensive effort of the season in line with how we played against Virginia. We took advantage of the way they defended, our revolving ball screen action was really effective. They do a lot of similar things to us to be honest, it was like going up against ourselves in practice and our guys were really prepared."
From the field the Dons shot a season-high 46.0 percent going 29-for-63, from beyond the arc the USF was 15-for-34. The 15 3-point field goals is a season-high for the Dons and it marks the third-straight game USF has made 10 or more 3-point field goals.
In a contest in which the entire lineup saw action tonight, USF finished with four players in double figures.
Khalil Shabazz finished with a game-high 22 going 6-for-13 from the field and 4-for-9 from 3-point range. He was also 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.
"Khalil was fantastic," said Golden. "I love coaching him he brings so much energy. I also really liked what
Josh Kunen did out there tonight, the way he stepped up in his starting roll. I thought Julian, even though he didn't shoot great, he looked more comfortable. Damari four assists one turnover he really commanded the game, the list goes on and on."
Dzmitry Ryuny had 12 in his first career start he was 5-for-11 from the field, while grabbing a pair of boards and dishing out two assists.
Josh Kunen missed a double-double by three rebounds. He had 11 points tonight, a season-high.
Jamaree Bouyea also had 11 points along with two assists and three steals.
Taavi Jurkatamm had a career-high nine points along with two rebounds and two blocks. USF saw
Justin Bieker,
Anthony Roy, and
Maj Dusanic make their collegiate debut, Roy finished with four points, and Dusanic had a bucket.
USF went into the locker room holding a slim eight point advantage, up 40-32. Out of the break the Dons blew the contest wide open. USF scored six quick points forcing the stunned Wolf Pack to burn a timeout, but the scoring didn't stop. USF went on a 21-6 run and eventually built their lead to as much as 33.
USF's transition offense and defense were a big reason for the second half explosion. The Dons turned 16 UNR turnovers into 15 points, meanwhile the Wolf Pack could only convert 10 USF turnovers into five points, the Dons had 11 fast break points on the evening and 11 second chance points.
The Dons return to action on Friday when they make their home debut. USF is scheduled to host Cal Poly at 6:00 p.m. That game will be streamed on the WCC Network with
Pat Olson calling all the action live. Fans can also tune into KNBR 1050-AM to hear Olson on the radio.
USF had launched the Dons Together initiative to combat the shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out how you can
help today.
