SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Delivering another instant classic, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (12-3, 2-0 WCC) fought tooth and nail to pick up its second win of conference play on Monday night as the Dons outlasted Santa Clara (9-6, 1-1 WCC), 97-94, in an overtime thriller at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Knocking down their first three attempts of the night, San Francisco raced out to an early 7-2 lead after a three-pointer from Malik Thomas at 18:03.
• Answering back for Santa Clara, Elijah Maji converted a layup at 15:20 to put the Broncos in front as the basket started a 5-0 spurt that gave SCU a 13-9 lead at 14:24.
• Trading buckets in the minutes to follow, the Dons stayed on the heels of Santa Clara as Thomas nailed another triple at 9:59 to keep the green and gold within four points, 24-20. However, back-to-back three-pointers from the Broncos put SCU up ten, 30-20, with 9:06 remaining in the first half.
• Whittling down the lead once more, San Francisco drew within four points again, 37-33, when Marcus Williams found James O'Donnell for a layup at 5:21. Doing his part off the bench, Robby Beasley cashed in on a pair of three-pointers shortly thereafter as the game quickly became even at 41-all with 2:24 remaining before halftime.
• In the final two minutes of the opening half of play, Williams stepped up and sank two jumpers to help the Dons hold the lead. Despite these efforts, Santa Clara scored the final two baskets of the first half as the Broncos jumped on top, 47-45, heading into the locker room.
• Coming out of the break, the second half also proved to be a back-and-forth affair. After SCU extended their advantage to six, 51-45, following a layup from Tyree Bryant at 18:46, San Francisco punched back with a 13-3 run of their own to regain control, 58-54, at 14:31.
• Nearing the midway mark of the second half, a free throw from Thomas at 10:38 kept USF in the driver's seat, but Santa Clara strung together a few stops in addition to a layup from Johnny O'Neil to take back the lead, 66-64, at 8:58.
• Down the stretch, the two teams continued to match each other as the largest lead for either side during the rest of regulation came when Carlos Stewart put the Broncos up five, 74-69, with 5:00 to play.
• After another layup from Stewart with under 50 seconds left kept SCU up four, 84-80, Thomas drove down the court and kicked the ball out to Williams at the top of the arc as the guard nailed a triple to bring the Dons within one, 84-83, with 45 seconds remaining.
• Next, Christoph Tilly put Santa Clara up three after scoring with 26 seconds left on the game clock, but Thomas once again took the opportunity into his hands and got fouled by Tilly behind-the-arc with 15 seconds remaining. Sinking all three shots, Thomas knotted the game at 86-86. Subsequently, Stewart went on to miss a three-pointer to win the game, but Tilly was fouled by Robby Beasley as time nearly expired. Luckily, the forward missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity as the game remained even at 86 at the conclusion of regulation.
• Advancing to an overtime period for the first time this season, the two rivals continued to exchange blows, but Williams stepped up when it mattered most by knocking down a three-pointer with 1:28 in the period to put San Francisco back in control, 92-91. Redeeming himself after coming up short earlier in the game, Carlton Linguard Jr. cashed in on a pair of free throws with 27 seconds left to help the Dons stay on top, 96-93.
• Delivering in the biggest moment of his collegiate career so far, Veniamin Abosi then stepped up with under 4 seconds remaining and knocked down one of two free throws to keep the green and gold up by three points.
• Following one final half court heave from Stewart at the buzzer that went wide left, San Francisco hung on to secure a thrilling 97-94 overtime victory over Santa Clara on Monday night.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Finishing one point shy of his career-high, Thomas poured in a game-high 34 points as the guard was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line in the win. Overall, the Fontana native also added a career-high eight rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals in a career-high 41 minutes.
• Tapping into his clutch gene, Williams was tabbed Player of the Game after finishing with 23 points on 10-of-19 from the floor. Overall, the guard also dished out a season-high eight assists to go along with one rebound, one block and one steal in a season-high 39 minutes.
• Alongside Thomas and Williams, Tyrone Riley IV and Linguard Jr. each finished with 11 points apiece. Notably, Riley IV tied Thomas by pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.
• As a team, San Francisco led Santa Clara in points in the paint (44-40), points off turnovers (15-12) and fastbreak points (12-6).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's contest, please click here.
• 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 head inland to the Central Valley for their first road test of WCC action as the Dons are set to battle Pacific at Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton, Calif. on Thursday, Jan. 2. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm as Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call live on KNBR 1050. 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 - Arguello Market - 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.