PROVO, Utah - Playing in their final regular season game of the year, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (18-13, 7-9 WCC) fell at BYU (17-14, 7-9 WCC), 87-61 on Saturday night at Marriott Center in Provo.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Similar to last game, Khalil Shabazz got the offense rolling for the Dons by knocking down his first attempt from beyond-the-arc to give USF an early 3-2 at 18:03 in the first half.
• Following the three from Shabazz, the Cougars answered by reeling off an 8-2 run to jump in front, 10-5, after a made triple from Gideon George at 16:22.
• Staying on the heels of BYU, the Dons responded by closing the gap to knot the score at 14 on a fastbreak layup from Marcus Williams at the 13:45 mark.
• With neither side able to gain much momentum offensively as the midway point of the first half approached, the Cougars regained control with a 5-0 run to go on top, 22-16, after a layup from Dallin Hall at 10:41.
• Remaining within striking distance as the half played on, Shabazz nailed another shot from distance at the 3:20 mark to bring the green and gold within five, 30-25.
• Unable to build on this stretch, BYU answered back once again with a 10-2 run to wrap up the first twenty minutes of action as USF trailed by thirteen, 40-27, heading into the locker room.
• Using the home crowd to their advantage, the Cougars began the second half by netting the first ten points to extend their lead to 50-27 at the 17:18 mark.
• Keeping their foot on the gas, BYU maintained a double-digit lead as play continued. Near the midway point of the second half, a triple from Josh Kunen brought the Dons within thirteen, 58-45.
• Aiming to mount a comeback down the stretch, USF fought hard on every possession, but ultimately was unable to slice their deficit down to single digits for the remainder of the contest.
• Hosting their final WCC regular season home game, BYU held on to take down the Dons, 87-61.  

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Wrapping up the regular season with another strong performance, Shabazz logged his fourteenth 20+ point outing of the season by finishing with a team-high 21 points to go along with two steals, one rebound and one assist in 37 minutes played.
• As a team, USF led BYU in fast break points (13-7) and bench points (20-16).
• Overall, 10 different Dons scored at least two points on Saturday night.  

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

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

UP NEXT:
USF will await official seeding for the 2023 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas as the conference will release the official tournament bracket tomorrow morning, Sunday, Feb. 26.
 
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.