SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Taking care of business at home once again, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (7-2) remains perfect on the Hilltop this season as the Dons defeated Saint Louis (5-3), 78-61, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on Thursday night.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• With neither team able to find the bottom of the net in the first 2+ minutes of the contest, San Francisco scored back-to-back baskets courtesy of Malik Thomas and Carlton Linguard Jr. to take their first lead, 5-3, at 16:31.
• Keeping close on a fastbreak layup from Robbie Avila at 15:20, Saint Louis answered back in the early minutes, but the Dons punched back with a 9-0 run that was capped off by a layup from Junjie Wang at 12:23 to make it 16-5 in favor of the green and gold.
• Near the midway mark of the first half, Marcus Williams knocked down a three-pointer to push the advantage to 12 for San Francisco, 19-7.
• Over the next five minutes, the Dons maintained their double-digit lead as Williams converted on another triple at 4:54 to keep USF in charge, 30-17.
• Following the three from Williams, Saint Louis closed out the first half with vengeance as the Billikens rallied off a 12-3 run to trail by just four points, 33-29, heading into the locker room at halftime.
• Coming out of the break swinging, San Francisco began the second half on a heater as the Dons used a 26-4 run of their own to take a commanding lead, 59-33, at 12:26.
• After a free throw from Ndewedo Newbury kept the Dons up 25 points, 60-35, shortly thereafter, Saint Louis did not go down without a fight in the final ten minutes of regulation.
• Beginning with a layup from Gibson Jamerson at 8:45, the Billikens reeled off a 13-2 stretch to threaten late as they trailed by 13 points, 64-51, with 5:03 remaining. However, this is as close as Saint Louis would get in the closing minutes of the contest.
• Sinking arguably the biggest shot of the second half, Ryan Beasley ended the Billiken run with a triple on the wing at 4:38 to keep San Francisco up 16 points, 67-51. Subsequently, the Dons would use this energy to put their final touches on the game as the green and gold wrapped up the evening by securing a 78-61 victory over Saint Louis. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Erupting for a game-high 22 points, Thomas was named Player of the Game for the second consecutive contest after shooting 9-of-14 from the field, 3-of-4 from distance and 1-of-2 from the free throw line. Additionally, the guard added a season-high six rebounds to go along with one steal in 31 minutes.
• Alongside Thomas, Linguard Jr. finished with a season-high 15 points on 6-of-14 from the floor, including three triples. Overall, the graduate transfer also added two rebounds, one assist and one block in 28 minutes.
• Making an impact from the point guard position, Williams also added 15 points on 5-of-11 from the field, 3-of-5 from deep and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. Notably, the third-year Don also added five assists, three rebounds and two steals in 34 minutes.
• As a team, San Francisco led Saint Louis in points off turnovers (18-13) and bench points (20-13) as the Dons shot over 50 percent (50.8/30-59) for the third straight game and the fifth time this season. Overall, USF's eleven made three-pointers on Thursday night also tied a season-high.

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 Marcus Williams and Robby Beasley, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will rest and recover over the next six days as the Dons will suit up next on Thursday, Dec. 11 when they welcome Stanislaus State to the Hilltop for a 7:00 pm matchup. Live streaming, live statistics, radio and ticket links will be 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 - Park 'N Fly - 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.