SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Back in business with a comeback win, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (16-12, 5-8 WCC) used a second half surge to power past Pepperdine (9-18, 2-11 WCC), 88-80, on Saturday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Matching each other stride for stride to open the contest, the Dons and Waves were knotted at 12 through the first eight minutes of play.
• In the minutes to follow, USF pulled ahead on the strength of two free throws from Ndewedo Newbury, which gave the green and gold a 21-19 lead at the 7:44 mark.
• Responding shortly thereafter, Pepperdine answered with a 27-10 run over the next five plus minutes as they used this momentum to grab a fifteen-point advantage, 46-31, with 1:55 remaining in the half.
• Pushing right back to close the first twenty minutes of action, USF ended the half on an 8-0 run of their own, which was highlighted by two triples from Tyrell Roberts, one which came as the buzzer sounded. Heading into the locker room, the Dons trailed by seven, 46-39.    
• Coming out of the break, the Dons began the second half on an 11-4 run as they tied the game at 52 following a jumper from Roberts at 15:02.
• Almost one minute later, USF jumped back in front, 54-52, on a layup from Marcus Williams at the 14:03 mark as the green and gold would not relinquish their lead for the rest of the night.
• Just past the midway point of the second half, eight straight points from Khalil Shabazz helped the Dons remain in control, 71-63, with 8:15 left on the game clock.
• Down the stretch, USF answered each Pepperdine basket with a bucket of their own as they stretched their advantage to double digits in the closing moments of the game.
• Despite one final dunk from the Waves as time wound down, the Dons outscored their opponent 49-34 in the second half as USF hung on to secure their tenth victory at home this year by a final score of 88-80. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Exploding on the offensive end, Roberts was named Player of the Game after finishing with a season-high 32 points. Overall, the Sacramento native shot 11-of-16 from the field and 6-of-11 from distance while also adding three rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes played.
• Adding fuel to the fire, Shabazz tallied 17 points on 6-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-7 from beyond-the-arc. Getting it done on both ends, the crafty guard also collected four steals, three rebounds, two assists and one block in 38 minutes.
• Providing support off the bench, Newbury flirted with a double-double by recording 12 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes on the hardwood.
• As a team, USF shot 50.0 percent (30-60) from the field while leading the Waves in points in the paint (34-24), points off turnovers (18-7), second chance points (12-9) and fast break points (8-7).  

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's contest, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Gerlufsen, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with Tyrell Roberts, please click here. 

UP NEXT:
USF will hit the road next week when they travel east to Stockton for a date with Pacific on Thursday, Feb. 16. Tipoff from the Alex G. Spanos Center is set for 7:00 pm as the game will air live on NBC Sports Bay Area and KNBR 1050 at game time. Live streaming, radio and live statistics link 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 our sponsor of the game – Park-n-Fly - 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.