SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Fresh off of two victories to open the new season, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (2-0) will look to continue its winning ways on Wednesday night as the Dons welcome Long Beach State (1-1) to the Hilltop for a midweek matchup at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
GAME 3 DETAILS:
Opponent: Long Beach State
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm PT
Location: San Francisco, Calif. / War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Securing two wins to open the 2024-25 season last week, San Francisco outlasted Cal Poly, 86-78, on Tuesday, Nov. 5 before picking up a statement win over Boise State, 84-73, on Saturday, Nov. 9. With the win over the Mustangs on opening night, San Francisco won their season opener for the fourth consecutive season dating back to 2021-22.
• Enjoying a strong start to the new year, Malik Thomas averaged 22.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals across both games last week as the guard was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time in his career on Monday, Nov. 11. Notably, the Fontana native tallied a career-high five steals in USF's win over Cal Poly.
• Alongside Thomas, Tyrone Riley IV burst onto the college basketball scene last week as the left hander averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks on 55.6 percent shooting across the two games. For these efforts, Riley IV was tabbed WCC Freshman of the Week as San Francisco swept the first WCC men's basketball weekly honors. Notably, Riley IV finished with a game-high 26 points, 24 of which came in the second half, in USF's victory over Cal Poly.
• Helping the green and gold in the win over Boise State, Ndewedo Newbury logged his first collegiate double-double last Saturday as the forward finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in a team-high 36 minutes played.
• Making a jump in the national rankings, San Francisco climbed from 96 to 75 in the Kenpom rankings as of Tuesday, Nov. 12.

SCOUTING THE BEACH:

• In their first week of the new season, Long Beach State raced past La Verne, 93-48, on Monday, Nov. 4 before narrowly falling to South Dakota State on the road, 80-79, on Friday, Nov. 8.
• Through two games, Long Beach State has seen stellar play from their guards as Devin Askew is averaging 23.5 points and 6.5 assists per game to start the year while TJ Wainwright is close behind averaging 20.5 points per game.
• On the glass, the Beach has three forwards averaging 6+ rebounds per game: Derrick Michael Xzavierro (8.5), Austin Johnson (8.0) and Cam Denson (6.5).
• Long Beach State made the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24 as the Beach reached March Madness for the tenth time in program history and the first time since 2011-12. Coming off of a five-game losing streak entering the Big West Championship, Long Beach State responded by winning three straight games, including victories over the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to reach the NCAA Tournament, where the program fell to No. 9 Arizona in the first round.
• The Beach welcomed former San Diego State assistant coach Chris Acker to the helm over the offseason as Acker is in his first year as a Division I head coach. Alongside Acker, John Montgomery joined the staff as an assistant coach over the offseason after spending nine seasons at Hawai'i, where he was the associate head coach for the past three seasons. Looking at the roster, three players return from last year's team in addition to twelve newcomers brought in by Acker and his staff.

SERIES HISTORY:
Wednesday's matchup between San Francisco and Long Beach State will mark the tenth meeting all-time between the two programs as the Beach currently hold a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series. In the previous matchup, San Francisco routed the Beach, 107-62, on the Hilltop on Dec. 10, 2020.
 
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 - Coca-Cola - for their continued support of San Francisco 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.