FRESNO, Calif. – Back on the road for the first time this season, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (4-0) gutted out another gritty win on Wednesday night as the Dons defeated Fresno State, 67-60, to remain perfect at 4-0.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Getting the scoring underway from behind-the-arc, Saba Gigiberia knocked down USF's first basket of the game to give the Dons an early 3-2 at 18:19.
- As the first half played on, USF gained momentum on back-to-back three-pointers from Khalil Shabazz and Tyrell Roberts at 12:00 and 11:12 to keep the green and gold on top, 19-13.
- Over the next 5:54, USF also found their groove on defense as the Dons did not allow Fresno State to score from 13:10 until 7:18.
- Closing the initial twenty minutes by exchanging blows, USF held a three-point advantage, 29-26, heading into the locker room after Roberts isolated a Bulldog defender and knocked down a pull-up jumper as the buzzer sounded to end the first half.
- Coming out of the break, two more triples from the Dons, this time from Josh Kunen and Shabazz, kept USF in control, 35-33, at the 18:10 mark in the second half.
- Moving along, Fresno State gathered their composure in the minutes to follow, which included taking the lead, 41-38, on a three-pointer at 14:29.
- Coming down to the wire, the two teams matched each other down the stretch as neither side held more than a five-point advantage in the final ten minutes of play.
- Putting USF ahead for good, Zane Meeks used his strength to convert an and-one with 4:43 left in regulation.
- Following clutch baskets from Roberts, Shabazz and Marcus Williams, the Dons held on, 67-60, to take down the Bulldogs and record their fourth straight win to open the season. Notably, Wednesday's victory also marked the third consecutive win for USF over Fresno State.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Dominating all over the court, Meeks was named Player of the Game after logging his first double-double as a Don with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Establishing a new career-high in points, Meeks also added two blocks while shooting 8-of-15 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
- Playing a team-high 38 minutes, Roberts poured in a game-high 22 points on 9-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-10 from distance. Overall, the versatile guard also tallied three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
- As a team, USF led Fresno State in points off the bench (28-9) while limiting the Bulldogs to 33.9 percent overall and 21.4 percent from behind-the-arc.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will continue their first road stretch of the year when they travel to Kansas City for the 2022 Hall of Fame Classic next Monday and Tuesday. Scheduled to face Northern Iowa on Monday, Nov. 21 at 9:30 am PT, the Dons will then battle the winner or loser of Wichita State and Grand Canyon on Tuesday. Both games from Kansas City will be broadcasted live on CBS Sports Network. Television, radio and live statistics links are 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.
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at
www.usfdons.com/shop.
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact
Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.
