SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Concluding the regular season in the South Bay, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (22-9, 11-5 WCC) fought with each possession on Saturday afternoon but ultimately fell on the road at Santa Clara (19-12, 10-6 WCC), 69-62.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• With defense taking the stage to start, San Francisco's first basket of the afternoon came when Mike Sharavjamts nailed his first attempt off a screen from Jonathan Mogbo at 17:56.
• Just over one minute later, Sharavjamts converted on a second chance jumper to put the green and gold on top for the first time, 4-2, at 16:44. Fast forward two minutes, Marcus Williams knocked down the first three-pointer of the contest for the Dons to push the USF lead to 7-2 to 14:32.
• Battling back with each possession, Santa Clara rallied to draw even at 7-7 on a three from Jake Esminger at 13:17. Subsequently, Ryan Beasley answered back by making his first triple of the ballgame at 12:56 to give San Francisco a 10-7 advantage.
• Over the next four plus minutes, the Broncos would find momentum on their home floor as SCU reeled off a 13-2 run to take control, 20-12, following a pair of free throws from Cameron Tongue at 8:12.
• As the half continued, the Dons remained on the heels of Santa Clara as a hook shot from Mogbo at 4:18 kept it a six-point game, 22-16.
• Keeping close, a second-chance triple from Josh Kunen with just under forty seconds left in the half kept the green and gold within five, 26-21. However, Jalen Benjamin would sink a contested floater in the paint with around six seconds remaining to give SCU a seven-point lead at the break, 28-21.
• Beginning the second half with consecutive baskets, Santa Clara extended their advantage to double digits, 32-21, after back-to-back layups courtesy of Carlos Marshall Jr. and Adama-Alpha Bal.
• Staying within range, two straight jumpers from Williams kept the Dons within eight, 33-25, at the 17:10 mark.
• Over the next seven plus minutes, the two teams exchanged blows with neither side pulling away. With 11:19 left in regulation, Ryan Beasley knocked down another trey to cut the USF deficit to seven, 45-38. At 10:22, the freshman would cash in on a free throw to bring San Francisco within six, 47-41.
• Using their home crowd to their advantage, SCU pushed their lead to thirteen, 54-41, after a 7-0 run that finished with a layup from Johnny O'Neil at 9:10. Clawing back shortly thereafter, Malik Thomas sank two shots at the charity stripe at 7:39 before Ryan Beasley nailed yet another triple at 7:35 off a Bronco turnover to make it a seven-point game once again, 54-47.
• Hanging around down the stretch, a layup from Mogbo at 6:52 helped the green and gold stay close, 56-49.
• Unable to crack the Santa Clara defense in the closing minutes of the contest, SCU controlled the tempo to wrap up the contest as the Broncos widened the gap back to double digits until the final minute of play. Although a made three from Thomas with around 10 seconds left brought USF within six, 68-62, Santa Clara would convert on their final free throw and get one final stop to secure a 69-62 victory over the Dons.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Tallying his second highest point total of the season, Ryan Beasley finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks (season-high).
• Alongside Ryan Beasley, Williams (12 points) and Mogbo (10 points, 14 rebounds) also finished in double figures for the green and gold.
• As a team, San Francisco led Santa Clara in points in the paint (11-10), fast break points (6-5) and steals (7-2).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

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

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will be the number three seed in the upcoming 2024 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Tournament as the Dons will play next in the quarterfinal round of the tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Depending on Friday's games, USF will play the winner of LMU and Portland at 9:30 pm on Saturday, Mar. 9. Live streaming, radio and live statistics 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 - Coca-Cola - for their continued support of USF 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.