SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Back in the City by the Bay, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (6-2) found its rhythm in the second half on Sunday afternoon as the Dons defeated Mercyhurst (5-5), 87-59, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Getting the afternoon started, Carlton Linguard Jr. converted on the first shot attempt of the game as the center netted the first two points for either team just nine seconds into play.
• With the Lakers keeping pace to begin the ballgame, Malik Thomas knocked down his first triple of the contest to keep San Francisco in front, 10-7, at 15:38.
• After a jumper from Thomas helped the Dons keep their lead, 14-10, at 12:53, Bernie Blunt III reeled off nine consecutive points to give Mercyhurst the advantage, 19-17, at 9:54. Continuing to apply pressure early, the Lakers increased their lead to five when Shemar Rathan-Mayes sank a free throw at 6:45 to finish off a three-point play.
• With 2:31 left in the first half, Blunt cashed in on another opportunity from distance to keep Mercyhurst in control, 33-28. Fighting back, San Francisco closed out the opening twenty minutes of action with baskets from Linguard Jr. and Tyrone Riley IV, but Mercyhurst remained on top, 36-32, heading into the locker room.
• Flipping the script in the second half, San Francisco opened with a 12-2 run coming out of the break as the stretch was capped off by a dunk from Thomas to put the Dons back in front, 44-36, at 15:38.
• Keeping close, Rathan-Mayes converted on a jumper at 14:20 to make it 46-42 in favor of San Francisco, but the green and gold responded once again as a jumper from Thomas at 12:13 gave the Dons a double-digit advantage, 55-44. Pressing their foot on the gas, San Francisco would not let Mercyhurst come within more than nine points for the remainder of the game.
• With just under eight minutes remaining in regulation, a pair of free throws from Junjie Wang stretched the San Francisco lead to 20 points, 70-50. Down the stretch, the Dons left nothing on the table as the green and gold punctuated their scoring with a layup from Saba Gigiberia to close out the contest. Outscoring Mercyhurst 55-23 in the second half, San Francisco cruised to victory, 87-59, on Sunday afternoon. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Finishing as the game's leading scorer, Thomas was tabbed Player of the Game after finishing with a new season-high 29 points on 11-of-15 from the field. Overall, the guard also had four steals, three assists, one block and one rebound in 32 total minutes.
• Alongside Thomas, Linguard Jr. (14 points), Riley IV (13 points) and Wang (11 points) all finished in double figures for San Francisco. For Riley, the freshman also added five rebounds, his fourth game with five or more rebounds this season, and two steals in 28 total minutes.
• As a team, San Francisco had a +16 margin on the glass as the Dons outrebounded Mercyhurst 37-21. Notably, the green and gold are 5-1 this season and 39-4 under Chris Gerlufsen when outrebounding their opponent.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Gerlufsen, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with Carlton Linguard Jr. and Malik Thomas, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will remain at home on the Hilltop for game two of a three-game homestand as the Dons will welcome Saint Louis to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center for a 7:00 pm matchup on Thursday, Dec. 5. Chris Sylvester and Ben Braun will have the call live on ESPN+ at gametime while Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call on KNBR 1050. Live streaming, radio, live statistics and ticket links 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 - San Francisco Toyota - 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.