Dons Get Back on Track, Thump Pacific in Stockton

Monday, February 21

Stockton, Calif.

6:00 pm

University of San Francisco

22-7,9-5WCC

104

Pacific

8-19,3-9WCC

Team	1	2	F
San Francisco	48	56	104
Pacific	24	47	71

Photo by: Timothy Thymes

2/21/2022 9:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. – Pressing their foot on the gas out of the gates, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (22-7, 9-5) took the lead just eighteen seconds into the contest and never looked back as the Dons thumped Pacific (8-19, 3-9), 104-71, on Monday night for their third largest win in school history over the Tigers.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Wasting no time, Khalil Shabazz nailed USF's first three pointer of the night at 19:42 to give USF an early 3-0 advantage. From this point on, the Dons would not relinquish their lead for the remainder of the ballgame as they enjoyed an offensive explosion against the Tigers at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
Finding their rhythm from behind-the-arc, USF cashed in on eight triples in the first half, including Shabazz's third of the night at the 7:19 mark to push the gap to 21, 34-13, in favor of the Dons.
Widening the margin as halftime approached, USF would use four points from Jamaree Bouyea in the final 41 seconds of the first half to double up Pacific heading into the locker room, 48-24. Notably, the 24 points allowed by the Dons tied for the third lowest point total in the first half by an opponent this season.
Beginning the second half with an exclamation point, Patrick Tapé posterized the Pacific defense at 19:21 to extend USF's lead to 26, 50-24. As the midway point of the half arrived, back-to-back threes from Gabe Stefanini and Julian Rishwain grew USF's advantage to 33 points, 77-44, with 11:01 left in regulation.
Experiencing little resistance down the home stretch, the Dons climbed over the century mark for the third time this season and second time this month on a layup from Ndewedo Newbury with 1:21 on the game clock. Cruising to the finish line, USF would go on to secure the 104-71 victory and their ninth victory over Pacific in their last eleven outings. Overall, Monday's win also marked the first win for San Francisco in Stockton since a 79-75 win on Jan. 11, 2020.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Logging his first double-double of the season en route to being named Player of the Game, Bouyea dazzled with 15 points, 11 assists, 4 steals and 2 rebounds on 5-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 2-2 from distance. Impressively, this performance also marked the nineteenth time this year in which Bouyea has eclipsed 15 or more points.
Heating up at the right time, Shabazz poured in 20+ points for the third time in four games and the fifth time this season with a game-high 21 points on 6-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three-point land. For the Seattle native, Monday also marked the second straight game and third time in the last four games in which the 6'0" guard has made five three pointers.
Adding to the mix, Stefanini finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist in 25 minutes while Rishwain recorded 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 25 minutes played. Combined, this duo went 9-of-15 from the field, 4-of-9 from deep and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
As a team, USF shot 59.3 from the floor, good for their second highest mark in a single game this season (shot 61.1 in a 92-76 win over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 11, 2021). From three, the Dons cashed in on 15-of-29 attempts, which set a new season-high with a 51.7 percent clip. Notably, USF led Pacific in points in the paint (34-24), points off turnovers (21-6), second chance points (10-6), fast break points (9-2), bench points (43-31), rebounds (34-23), assists (22-7) and steals (8-5).

UP NEXT:
USF will return to the Hilltop for their final regular season home game as the Dons are set to host No. 1/1 Gonzaga on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 6:00 pm. With this being the final regular season game at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center this year, USF will honor seniors Jamaree Bouyea, Yauhen Massalski, Khalil Shabazz and Patrick Tapé in a pregame ceremony. This contest will air live on ESPN 2 at game time. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links are available via the team's schedule page.

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.

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.