SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - In a game that featured eleven lead changes, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (8-4) fell to Utah State (11-1), 54-53, on Saturday afternoon at the Delta Center as the Aggies found the go-ahead basket with around ten seconds remaining to secure the victory.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Getting the scoring started, Jonathan Mogbo notched the first basket of the afternoon on a layup just 37 seconds into play to give San Francisco an early 2-0 lead.
• Defensively, the Dons did not allow the Aggies to score until the 16:47 mark, which was then quickly answered by an alley-oop from Marcus Williams to Mogbo at 16:31 to keep the green and gold on top 4-2.
• As defense took charge early, the Aggies took their first advantage of the ballgame, 5-4, on a three-pointer from Ian Martinez at 15:53. Trading the lead in the minutes to follow, Mogbo played the passing lanes before taking it coast-to-coast for a breakaway slam that evened the score, 9-9, at 11:16.
• Just a few seconds before the midway mark of the first half, Isaiah Hawthorne cashed in on a triple of his own to put USF back on top, 12-11.
• After a stepback jumper from Williams knotted things at 15-15 with 8:34 left in the half, the Dons reeled off a 6-0 run capped off by a three from Ryan Beasley at 6:29 to take control, 21-16.
• Just one minute later, San Francisco stretched their lead to seven, 25-18, when Williams found Volodymyr Markovetskyy for a layup at the 5:04 mark.
• Shortly thereafter, Utah State responded to cut their deficit to three, 25-22, on a pair of free throws from Ian Martinez at 3:03. Matching the momentum, the Dons closed out the first twenty minutes of action on a 5-2 run to take a five-point lead, 30-25, heading into halftime.
• Out of the break, Williams kept it a five-point game, 32-27, with another jumper at 18:09. Seeming to match each other stride for stride, USF remained on top as the game moved along with neither side finding much separation.
• Following a layup from Malik Thomas that made it 36-31 in favor of the green and gold, the Aggies answered with an 10-0 run of their own to grab the lead back, 41-36, at the twelve-minute media timeout.
• Proving to be a game of runs, San Francisco evened things up by using a Ndewedo Newbury three and a 7-2 stretch to tie the score at 43-43 at 8:43. Out of the eight-minute media timeout, Thomas and Newbury netted back-to-back baskets to put the Dons back up by four, 47-43, with 7:26 left on the game clock.
• As the game wound down, the intensity increased, but the Dons continued to hit shots when it mattered. Coming off a ball screen at the 3:56 mark, Newbury nailed another trey to give USF a 50-46 advantage.
• Climbing back to go in front once more, Utah State took a two-point lead, 52-50, on a layup from Kalifa Sakho with 1:02 remaining in the contest. Taking matters into his own hands, Thomas answered by drilling a three on the wing with 37.4 seconds left to give San Francisco the lead back, 53-52.
• With under twenty seconds left in regulation, Darius Brown II missed a pull up jumper, but the miss then bounced off Mogbo's arms as he attempted to corral the rebound and back into the basket to put Utah State ahead, 54-53.
• Drawing up two final plays for a chance at a game-winner, Williams missed a driving layup with 10 seconds left before the Dons were unable to get a shot off on their final possession. Getting the final stops they needed in crunch time, the Aggies held on to win 54-53.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• One rebound short of another double double, Mogbo finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 31 minutes played on Saturday.
• Alongside Mogbo, Thomas tallied double figures for the third time in the last four games by recording 13 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 25 minutes played.
• Overall, San Francisco held Utah State to 30.5 percent (16-53) from the field and 9.5 percent (2-21) from beyond-the-arc while also leading the Aggies in points in the paint (30-24) and bench points (25-17).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Gerlufsen, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will return home to the Hilltop next week as the Dons will host two games before the holiday break. Beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 20, USF will battle Northern Arizona at 7:00 pm followed by a showdown against Fresno State at 5:00 pm on Friday, Dec. 22. Live streaming, radio, live statistics and ticket links will be available via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Arguello Market  - 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.