Box Score DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Hitting the road for the first time this season, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (4-2) fought valiantly on Monday night, but Clemson (5-1) used a second half surge to overpower the Dons, 70-55, at Ocean Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Getting the scoring started early, Ndewedo Newbury netted the first points of the contest to give San Francisco a 2-0 lead just seconds into play.
• After Clemson responded with five points to take a 5-2 advantage, Marcus Williams answered with his first triple of the evening at 18:06 before Malik Thomas cashed in on a three-pointer of his own at 17:21 to put the Dons back in front, 8-7.
• With Williams cashing in from downtown again at 15:27, the green and gold held a four-point lead, 11-7, but Tyrone Riley IV brought fans to their feet shortly after as the freshman converted a lob from Ryan Beasley at 11:34 to throw down a highlight-reel alley oop jam and put San Francisco up 13-9.
• In the minutes to follow, Clemson countered with another offensive spurt as the Tigers evened the contest at 13-all on a tip-in layup from Viktor Lahkin at 8:40. Punching right back, baskets from Thomas and a made triple from Carlton Linguard Jr. gave the Dons a five-point advantage, 18-13, at 7:59 in the first half.
• Trading buckets as action continued, Clemson grabbed the lead back, 20-18, on a three-pointer from Jaeden Zackery at 5:52, but back-to-back scores from Ryan Beasley helped San Francisco keep pace. With 3:14 remaining in the half, a pair of free throws from Malik Thomas put the green and gold back in front, 24-22.
• Closing out the first twenty minutes on a positive note, Thomas converted on a jumper in the paint with 23 seconds left as San Francisco held a 29-24 heading into the halftime break.
• Out of the locker room, the Dons used another pair of free throws from Thomas to maintain their five-point advantage, 31-26, at 17:58. Returning blows, Clemson reeled off a 14-2 run over the next 3+ minutes to go back in front, 40-33, at 13:53.
• At 12:08, Ryan Beasley nailed a jumper on the break to keep San Francisco within striking distance, 46-37, but the Tigers responded once again with five straight points to push their advantage to double digit digits, 51-37.
• Taking command as the midway mark of the second half crossed, baskets from Del Jones and Ian Schieffelin kept Clemson up fifteen, 55-40.
• Down the stretch, San Francisco kept fighting with each possession, but the Dons could not come closer than 12 points, 57-45, with 5:42 remaining in regulation. Holding on in the final minutes, Clemson went on to secure a 70-55 victory on Monday night at Ocean Center. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Leading the team offensively, Thomas finished in double figures for the fourth time in six games to start the season as the guard tallied a team-high 14 points to go along with 2 steals, 1 rebound and 1 assist. Notably, he also finished 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
• Off the bench, Barry Wang finished with a season-high 8 points as he shot 2-of-2 from the floor, 1-of-1 from distance and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.
• Finding his groove with each game, Ryan Beasley finished with a season-high four field goals made on Monday night as the sophomore recorded 9 points on 4-of-7 from the field. 

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

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

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will wrap up play in the Sunshine Slam against Fordham tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 26 as the Dons and Rams will compete in the third-place game. Tipoff from Ocean Center is scheduled for 10:30 am PT/1:30 pm ET as Jake Marsh and Mike O'Donnell will have the call on CBS Sports Network while Pat Olson will have the call on KNBR 1050. Live streaming, radio and live statistics are available via the team's schedule page.
 
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 - Planet Orange - 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.