MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Picking up a significant win on a neutral court, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (9-2) handed Loyola Chicago (8-1) their first loss of the season on Sunday night as the Dons defeated the Ramblers, 76-66, in the third game of the MKE Tip-off at Fiserv Forum.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Getting things started offensively, Carlton Linguard Jr. put in the first basket of the evening on a layup at 18:34 to give San Francisco an early 2-0 advantage.
• Less than two minutes later, Malik Thomas knocked down his first three-pointer of the game at 16:38 to even the score at 5-all.
• Over the next handful of minutes, both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net. Keeping close, another layup from Thomas at 11:33 kept the Dons on the heels of the Ramblers, 9-7.
• With under seven minutes left in the first half, Loyola Chicago extended their advantage to 17-7, but the green and gold responded with a 7-0 run over the next minute to draw within three, 17-14, at 6:11.
• Stretching their lead back to nine points, 23-14, with 4:30 remaining in the half, the Ramblers remained in front, but a pair of free throws from Marcus Williams with 45 seconds left brought San Francisco within three again, 25-22.
• After a late basket was waved off at the buzzer, Loyola Chicago maintained their advantage at the halftime break, 28-24.
• Coming out of the locker room, the two teams traded baskets before San Francisco used a 9-2 run to even the score at 36-all after a triple from Linguard Jr. at 16:57.
• Regaining the advantage again in the minutes to follow, Loyola Chicago continued to fight back, but the Dons also answered each blow. At 13:15, Ryan Beasley converted an and-one to put the green and gold in front, 46-44.
• Locking in on defense and finding their rhythm offensively, San Francisco cooked up another notable run, this time a 9-0 stretch, to lead by nine points, 55-46, with 9:53 left on the game clock.
• Making the Dons earn their victory, the Ramblers closed the USF gap to three points, 55-52, with 7:52 remaining in regulation.
• Down the final stretch, the green and gold continued to fend off a Loyola Chicago comeback, which included a monster two-hand jam from James O'Donnell to put San Francisco up eleven, 74-63, with just over one minute left in the game.
• Putting the nail in the coffin, Thomas sank two final free throws with 45 seconds on the clock as San Francisco went on to secure a 76-66 victory over Loyola Chicago.

 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Willing the team to a win, Thomas was named Player of the Game after finishing with a career-high 35 points on 11-of-16 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond-the-arc and 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
• Alongside Thomas, Ryan Beasley finished with a season-high 11 points as he shot 4-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 from distance. Additionally, Marcus Williams also added 11 points, which included going 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.
• As a team, San Francisco led Loyola Chicago in fast break points (12-10) and bench points (25-21) while also holding the Ramblers to 37.3 percent (22-59) from the field and 29.2 percent (7-24) from three-point range.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame interview with Coach Gerlufsen and Malik Thomas, please click here. 

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will travel south to Peoria, Ill. as the Dons will play their first true road game of the year at Bradley on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Tipoff from Carver Arena is scheduled for 5:00 pm PT/7:00 pm CT. Live streaming, radio and live statistics 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.