LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Battling past midnight and into Sunday morning, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (20-13, 7-9 WCC) gutted out their second victory in as many nights as the Dons hung on to take down Santa Clara (23-9, 11-5 WCC), 93-87, in double overtime to advance to the semifinal round of the 2023 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Tournament.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Getting things going, USF scored the first two baskets of the ballgame as the Dons took an early 4-0 lead after a jumper from Khalil Shabazz at 18:13.
• With neither side able to find much momentum offensively in the minutes to follow, the Broncos gained control around the 14-minute mark and extended their advantage to eight, 17-9, following a made three-pointer from Carlos Stewart just past the midway point of the first half.
• Closing their gap with each possession, the Dons whittled their deficit down and jumped back on top, 26-25, following a made triple from Marcus Williams at 3:09.
• After Tyrell Roberts and Stewart exchanged treys of their own to wrap up the first two minutes of play, USF held a one-point lead, 30-29, heading into the locker room.
• Out of the break, the Broncos used an 11-5 run to go back in front, but the green and gold remained on the heels of Santa Clara, 40-36, following a made free throw from Saba Gigiberia at 16:08.
• Seeming to answer each other with every bucket, SCU pushed their advantage to ten, 54-44, with just over ten minutes left in regulation.
• Showing their grit down the stretch, USF chipped away with each minute that passed, but they did face an uphill battle. With 5:11 left, the Dons trailed by ten, 68-58, and at 2:33, the green and gold were down by seven, 70-63.
• With each team throwing haymakers, Shabazz got to the free throw line with 13 seconds left on the game clock and USF down by two, 74-72. Just like he practices, the Seattle native knocked down a pair of shots from the charity stripe to even the score at 74.
• Coming up with two final stops on defense, the Dons clawed back to force an overtime period as the game remained knotted at 74 after the first 40 minutes of play.
• In the first overtime, the Dons two teams matched each other once again, which included highlight reel moments from Shabazz and 2022-23 WCC Co-Player of the Year Brandin Podziemski. At the end of the five minutes, USF and SCU would need five more to decide a winner.
• Doubling up the Broncos in the second overtime, Josh Kunen buried the go-ahead triple in the corner to put USF on top for good, 89-87, with 1:40 left.
• Converting four of four at the free throw line in the closing moments, the Dons completed the electric comeback by holding on to defeat the Broncos by six, 93-87.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Putting together arguably his most dominant game as a Don, Shabazz finished with a new career-high 38 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in 48 minutes played. Overall, the do-it-all guard shot 10-of-19 from the floor, 7-of-12 from beyond-the-arc and 11-of-13 from the free throw line.
• Alongside Shabazz, Roberts (16 points) and Williams (13 points) also finished in double figures for USF.
• Feeling it from distance, the Dons knocked down 51.9 percent (14-27) of their shots from deep on Saturday night while limiting the Broncos to 34.5 percent (10-29) from three-point land.
• As a team, USF led Santa Clara in second chance points (17-5) and bench points (18-12).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame press conference with head coach Chris Gerlufsen, Tyrell Roberts and Khalil Shabazz, please click here. 

UP NEXT:
USF has advanced to the semifinal round of the 2023 UCU WCC Tournament as the Dons will square off against Gonzaga on Monday night at Orleans Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 pm PT as the game will air live on ESPN 2 and KNBR 1050 at game time. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links will be 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 department sponsor – Corona - 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.