MORAGA, Calif. – Crossing the Bay Bridge for another battle with Saint Mary's, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (21-7, 8-5) fell to the Gaels (21-6, 8-3), 69-64, on the road in Moraga on Thursday night.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Matching each other out of the gates, Saint Mary's and USF traded baskets to open the contest, but the Dons pulled ahead at 15:09 for an early four-point advantage, 11-7, following back-to-back buckets from Gabe Stefanini and Yauhen Massalski.
• In another gritty matchup between the two programs, the Dons regained their lead after the Gaels had quickly jumped in front on a corner triple from Josh Kunen at 9:46, which put USF on top, 22-21.
• Shortly thereafter, SMC responded by stretching their lead to nine as the half continued, but the Dons displayed their fight once more by trimming their deficit to just two points, 35-33, on a fast break jumper from Jamaree Bouyea with 34 seconds remaining on the clock. Answering right back, fifth year senior guard Tommy Kuhse knocked down a tough three of his own at the top of the arc with just over 10 seconds left in the half as USF trailed by five heading into the locker room, 38-33.
• Similar to the first twenty minutes of action, the two teams exchanged blows to begin the second half, but a three-pointer from Khalil Shabazz cut SMC's lead to just one point, 44-43, at the 14:01 mark.
• Keeping close, the Dons could not find a consistent rhythm on offense as the half played on, but USF remained within four points, 53-49, on a layup from Massalski at 6:22.
• Battling until the final whistle, Stefanini would score the final four points for the Dons down the home stretch, but USF could not piece together one final rally to take down the Gaels as Saint Mary's held on, 69-64, to improve to 14-0 at home this season. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Logging his second highest point total of the year on Thursday night, Stefanini paced the USF offense with 23 points on 9-of-17 from the floor in 30 minutes played while also adding four assists, one steal and one rebound.
• Pouring in 20+ points for the fourth time this season, Shabazz finished with 22 points on 7-of-15 from the field while tying a season-best with five made three's in 33 minutes of action. Additionally, the Seattle native tallied three steals, one assist and one rebound while sinking three of four shots from the free throw line.
• Continuing his dominance down low, Massalski notched his ninth consecutive double-double and conference leading thirteenth overall this year as he recorded 10 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks on 5-of-8 from the floor. 

POSTGAME:

• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Todd Golden, please click here.  

TICKETS AND MERCHANDISE:
Single-game tickets for West Coast Conference basketball games are currently on sale at www.usfdons.com/tickets. 

Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at www.usfdons.com/shop.
 
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