SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Firing on all cylinders, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (7-1) cruised past Little Rock (2-6) on Wednesday evening, 90-68, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center behind five Dons finishing in double figures.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Wasting no time, USF raced out to an early 8-0 lead in the first two minutes of the contest, which included three-pointers from Josh Kunen and Tyrell Roberts.
- Just a few minutes later, the Dons saw their lead balloon to double digits for the first time when Julian Rishwain connected from distance at 14:36 to keep the green and gold on top, 14-4.
- As the midway point of the first half approached, Little Rock remained on the heels of USF as the Trojans trimmed their deficit to three, 18-15, following a layup at 10:51. Shortly thereafter, the Dons pieced together another 8-0 run to extend their advantage back to double digits, 28-15, at the 8:32 mark.
- Keeping their foot on the gas pedal, USF went on to commit only one turnover in the final sixteen minutes of the first half as a triple from Zane Meeks as the half came to a close gave the Dons a season-high 25-point lead, 49-28, over the Trojans at the break.
- Continuing to spread the wealth in the second half, USF kept applying pressure offensively as the Dons led by at least eighteen points at all times during the final twenty minutes of action.
- Dominating down low, Saba Gigiberia pushed the gap to 29 points, 72-43, after a thunderous two-handed dunk at 9:42.
- With just over five minutes remaining in regulation, Isaiah Hawthorne sank a triple of his own to keep the green and gold in command, 77-55.
- Experiencing little resistance down the stretch, USF left no doubt by reaching the 90-point mark for the second time this season as the Dons hung on to take down Little Rock, 90-68.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Doing it all, Khalil Shabazz was selected as Player of the Game after tallying an impressive stat line of 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists (season-high) and five steals (season-high) in 33 minutes played.
- Alongside Shabazz, Meeks (14 points), Hawthorne (12 points), Roberts (12 points) and Rishwain (10 points) all finished in double figures for USF.
- As a team, USF knocked down thirteen shots from behind-the-arc, their second most in a game this season. Overall, the Dons led the Trojans in points in the paints (32-26), points off turnovers (21-14), second chance points (11-10), fast break points (8-2) and bench points (41-24). Impressively, USF held Little Rock to just 22.2 percent from deep (4-18).
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will remain in the city of San Francisco as the Dons will head to Chase Center this Sunday, Dec. 4 to square off against Utah State. Tipoff from the home of the 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors is set for 5:30 pm PT. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links are available via the
team's schedule page. Tickets are available via chasecenter.com/tickets or 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.
