Seniors Spur Dons in Win over Portland

Thursday, February 23

San Francisco, Calif.

8:00 pm

University of San Francisco

18-12,7-8WCC

Portland

13-17,5-10WCC

Team	1	2	F
Portland	53	36	89
San Francisco	56	36	92

Photo by: Christina Leung

2/23/2023 11:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Coming down to the wire in their final home game of the regular season, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (18-12, 7-8 WCC) took care of business when it mattered most as the Dons hung on to defeat Portland (13-17, 5-10 WCC), 92-89, on senior night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

In what proved to be an offensive showcase in the first half, Khalil Shabazz got the scoring going in his final game on the Hilltop with his first triple of the night just 50 seconds into play to give USF an early 3-0 lead.
Just a few minutes later, fellow Toni Rocak got in on the action from deep as he knocked down a three of his own at 16:09 to keep the Dons on top, 15-10.
Fighting back to knot the game at 26, Portland kept close to USF as the half continued, but back-to-back treys from Tyrell Roberts and Marcus Williams helped the green and gold remain in control near the midway mark of the first half, 35-28.
Matching each other stride-for-stride, the Pilots battled back to tie the game at 48 with 4:17 left in the first half, but the Dons responded by closing the first twenty minutes of action on an 8-5 run as USF held a three-point lead, 56-53, heading into the locker room.
Coming out of the break, the green and gold continued their momentum as they reeled off a 10-3 run to extend their advantage to double digits, 66-56, at the 17:40 mark.
As the half moved along, Portland did not back down as they used a run of their own to draw even at 73 with 9:46 remaining in regulation.
Down the stretch, the two teams fought tooth and nail to overtake the other, but it wasn't until the final two plus minutes of the contest in which the Dons saw separation.
Following a timeout at the 2:21 mark, Shabazz erupted for five straight points, which included a breakaway steal before converting an and-one to keep USF on top, 89-84.
Despite a three-pointer from Moses Wood with 34 seconds left, the Dons ultimately got the stops they needed to finish the ballgame as USF held on late to knock off the Pilots, 92-89.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Suiting up for his final regular season game on the Hilltop, Shabazz went out with a bang as the Seattle native tallied 30 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in 39 total minutes. Overall, the shifty guard nailed 5-of-12 from distance as he logged his second 30-point game of the season and fifth in his USF career.
Earning his first start of the year, Rocak finished with a season-high 13 points on 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep. Notably, he also added four rebounds, two steals and one assist in 13 total minutes.
Alongside Shabazz and Rocak, Williams logged a season-high 17 points as he knocked down 6-of-9 overall and 5-of-8 from beyond-the-arc. Additionally, the sophomore guard also logged two rebounds, one assist and one steal.

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 Toni Rocak and Khalil Shabazz, please click here.

UP NEXT:
USF will close out the regular season with one final road game as the Dons will travel to Provo for a matchup at BYU this Saturday, Feb. 25. Tipoff from the Marriott Center is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT/8:00 pm MT as the contest will air live on ESPN U at game time. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links 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 and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - 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.