LAS VEGAS, Nev. – With 4:17 to play in the opening half, junior forward Dzmitry Ryuny made a pump fake at the corner and drove to the hoop throwing down a monster tomahawk jam over San Diego's Yauhen Massalski.  The bucket gave the Dons a comfortable 29-11 lead and eliminated any fight from the Toreros, as the Dons would go on to win 67-51 on Thursday night at the Orleans Arena.
 
"I'm just really proud of my guys, to be honest," said head coach Todd Golden following the Dons' win. "It has been a really challenging month for us, we obviously haven't been playing great – but this was coming for us.  I'm really proud of our guys for their effort tonight and excited for the opportunity to compete again tomorrow night."
 
Defense was the key to tonight's victory, with USF (11-13) smothering the Toreros.  The Dons kept San Diego (3-11) to single digits until the 7:11 mark in the opening half and did not allow a clean look. During that time, USF jumped out to 21-9 lead. The Dons finished the night with three players in double figures but the collective group effort on the defensive side of the ball led USF run away with it.
 
"We guarded really well, we were on the glass," said Golden about the Dons' defensive effort. "That allowed us to get out in transition and get some easy scoring opportunities."
 
Jamaree Bouyea led all scorers with 18 points.  He finished the night 8-for-14 from the field while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists. Ryuny finished with 13 points and had nine rebounds.  He had by far his best night since the Dons went on pause. Taavi Jurkatamm joined the two in double figures with 11 points and have five rebounds.
 
USF went into the locker leading 30-17.  The Toreros opened the game just 1-for-6 from the field. It did not get much better for USD who connected on just 25.9 percent of their attempts from the field in the opening period including a 1-for-9 showing from beyond the arc.
 
The Dons shot 42.9 percent in the first half, but were just 3-for-13 from beyond the arc. A bulk of USF points came inside on layups and dunks.
 
In the second half the Dons steadily pulled away, increasing their lead to as high as 27 with 8:45 to play thanks to a 10-0 run by USF that was capped off by a good look from three by Julian Rishwain.  USF shot much better from beyond the arc after the break, going 5-for-11 from 3-point range.  
 
San Diego finished the night with two players in double figures.  Leading the team in scoring was guard Finn Sullivan who had 12.  Josh Parrish added 11 after going 5-for-5 from the field.
 
USF will return to action on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. when they take on Loyola Marymount in the second round. Fridays' game can be viewed on Stadium and will also be streamed on the WCC Network. Pat Olson will have the Dons' radio broadcast on the home of UFS Dons Basketball, KNBR 1050-AM.