SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Heading to the South Bay for their first conference game of the season, the University of San Francisco men' s basketball team (11-5, 0-1 WCC) played an evenly-matched first half against Santa Clara (13-3, 1-0 WCC) on Thursday night, but ultimately fell to the Broncos, 79-67, following a second half surge from SCU at Leavey Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Grabbing an early 12-4 lead in the opening minutes of the contest, Santa Clara would strike first offensively, but the Dons responded as the half played on by trimming their deficit with each possession.
- With just under five minutes remaining in the first half, Zane Meeks converted on a layup in the paint to give the green and gold their first advantage of the night, 30-29, at 4:57.
- Just a few moments later, Marcus Williams put the Dons up four, 38-34, on a corner three at 2:47. Drawing even, the Broncos answered with a 4-0 spurt to close the half and knot the score at 38 heading into the locker room.
- Out of the break, the two teams continued to exchange blows, including an impressive sequence from USF beginning at 17:06 that saw the Dons get five quick points following a layup from Williams, a steal from Josh Kunen and a triple from Khalil Shabazz. After a dunk from Meeks at 15:34, San Francisco remained on top, 49-48.
- Rallying back, Santa Clara countered with a 10-0 run in the next two minutes to jump in front, 58-49, with 13:39 on the game clock.
- As the midway point of the second half approached, the Dons continued to fight as a jumper from Shabazz at 10:52 kept it a two-point game in favor of SCU, 60-58.
- Down the stretch, Santa Clara dug deep to find the defensive stops they needed while also finding their groove offensively as the Broncos outscored USF 19-7 to close out the contest.
- Although a free throw from Shabazz brought the Dons within six, 73-67, with 1:16 remaining, USF could not deliver late game heroics this time around as Santa Clara hung on to grab the win, 79-67.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Tallying 20+ points for the fifth time this season, Shabazz paced the Dons offensively by finishing with 23 points on 8-of-15 from the floor. Additionally, the two-way guard added five steals, two rebounds and two assists in a game-high 37 minutes played.
- Alongside Shabazz, Meeks logged his fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes played while Tyrell Roberts added 13 points and one assist in 36 minutes played.
- Getting contributions from a variety of weapons all year, USF outscored the Broncos by a wide margin off the bench (29-8) on Thursday night.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will return home to the Hilltop to host San Diego this Saturday, Dec. 31 at 4:00 pm. Live streaming, radio, live statistics and ticket 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.
