SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Closing out nonconference play with an emphatic win, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (11-4) wrapped up the calendar year in style on Saturday afternoon as the Dons cruised past Mississippi Valley State (0-13), 92-42, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Kickstarting the offense out of the gates, Ndewedo Newbury scored the first three points of the afternoon for San Francisco as a free throw 43 seconds into play got the green and gold on the board before a layup off a turnover at 18:37 gave USF an early 3-0 lead.
• Following a jumper from Mississippi Valley State at 16:57 that knotted things at 5-5, the Dons used a 10-4 run over the next four plus minutes to jump back in front by seven, 15-9, at the 12:50 mark.
• Shortly thereafter, USF continued to roll offensively as the green and gold then reeled off a 15-2 run over the next five plus minutes to lead by 19 (30-11) at the 7:50 mark in the first half.
• Firing on all cylinders for the remainder of the half, San Francisco kept their rhythm into the halftime break as the Dons led by 30 points, 51-21, following the first 20 minutes on the Hilltop.
• Out of the break, the Delta Devils found the bottom of the net to get the scoring started in the second half, but USF pressed their foot on the gas after this sequence. Over the next 8:16, the Dons got it done on both ends as the green and gold stretched their advantage to 46 (69-23) using an 18-0 run while keeping Mississippi Valley State scoreless during this span.
• Nearing the midway mark of the second half, a three-pointer from Stefan Todorovic put the Dons up 51 (76-25).
• Down the stretch, Junjie Wang joined in on the success as he nailed a triple of his own at 2:40 to give USF their largest lead of the contest (53 points) as the Dons led 90-37.
• After a layup from Volodymyr Markovetskyy with 41 seconds remaining in regulation, San Francisco cruised to the finish line to close out nonconference play with a 92-42 victory over Mississippi Valley State. Notably, the 50-point win marks the second largest margin of victory for the Dons this year (69 points/128-59 win over Bethesda on Nov. 6).

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Recording his sixth double-double of the season on Saturday, Jonathan Mogbo was tabbed Player of the Game after finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists on 8-of-12 from the field in 23 minutes. Defensively, this performance marked the fifth time this year the forward has recorded three or more steals. Additionally, his seven offensive rebounds against the Delta Devils also tied a season-high.
• Spreading the ball around all afternoon, four other Dons finished in double figures alongside Mogbo: Malik Thomas (13 points), Isaiah Hawthorne (13 points), Ndewedo Newbury (12 points) and Todorovic (11 points).
• As a unit, San Francisco shot 60.7 percent (37-61) from the floor, marking their second-highest shooting percentage as a team this year. From behind-the-arc, USF shot 47.8 percent (11-23), marking the fifth time this season the Dons have cashed in on ten three-pointers or more. 
• Additionally, the green and gold led the Delta Devils in points in the paint (50-20), points off turnovers (35-5), second chance points (12-2), fast break points (18-2) and bench points (44-6).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of today's contest, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Gerlufsen and Isaiah Hawthorne, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will open West Coast Conference play next week as the Dons will head east to Stockton for a battle at Pacific next Thursday, Jan. 4. Tipoff from the Alex G. Spanos Center is set for 7:00 pm as the contest will air live on ESPN+ with Zack Bayrouty and Bob Thomason on the call. The game will also air live on KNBR 1050 with Pat Olson on the call. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links are 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 - Evergood Foods - 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.