SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Returning home to the Hilltop after a gritty win over Davidson at Chase Center on Saturday, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (4-0) pushed their winning streak to four games on Monday night with a convincing 77-55 victory over Samford (2-1).
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Wasting no time, the Dons jumped out to an 6-0 lead after early free throws from Patrick Tapé and back-to-back buckets from forward Yauhen Massalski to begin the contest.
• After the Bulldogs would trim their deficit to three, 9-6, consecutive triples from Josh Kunen and Jamaree Bouyea would push USF's lead to double digits midway through the first half as the Dons remained on top, 20-10, at the 9:20 mark.
• As the half continued, the two sides continued to exchange baskets, with Samford able to cut the score to single digits again as halftime approached. With 55 seconds remaining in the first half, Masslaski would knock down a pair from the charity stripe, but a late three from Ques Glover with five seconds on the clock allowed the Bulldogs to come with eight at the break, 34-26.
• Out of the locker room, Samford stayed on the heels of USF as a three from Wesley Cardet just seventeen seconds into the second half brought the Bulldogs to within five, 34-29. However, the Dons would answer with a trey of their own from Gabe Stefanini followed by two more baskets from Massalski to stay on top, 41-32. 
• Applying pressure throughout, USF continued to enjoy success from the field as a team as Samford would not get closer than five points, 41-36, down the stretch. Ultimately, the Dons locked down defensively in the final minutes of the contest with the Bulldogs recording their last basket of the evening on a jumper from Glover at 5:38 in the second half.
• Making one last run, a dunk from Massalski at 5:29 put the Dons back in front by double digits, 66-55, as USF would use an 11-0 run to close out Samford and secure their fourth consecutive victory to begin the season, 77-55. Notably, the win marked USF's third 15+ point win for the Dons so far this year.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• For just the second time in his career at USF, Khalil Shabazz finished with a double-double as the Seattle native poured in 11 points while grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds in the win. Notably, Monday marked the most rebounds in a game for Shabazz since his 17-point, 10 rebound performance against Yale on Nov. 11, 2019.
• Leading the charge offensively once again, Bouyea tallied a team-high 19 points on 6-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond-the-arc. Overall, the 6'2" guard also added 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal in an all-around effort.
• Enjoying his most successful night offensively so far with the Dons, Massalski logged 16 points (season-high), 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 24 minutes of action against the Bulldogs.
• Making an immediate impact off the bench, Julian Rishwain shot an impressive 5-of-6 from the field while also knocking down 3 of his 4 attempts from distance for a total of 13 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. 

UP NEXT:
USF will return to the hardwood when they continue their home stand this Thursday, Nov. 18 as they welcome Nevada to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The contest will air live on Stadium as live streaming and live statistics links will be available via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.