STOCKTON, Calif. - Adding another mark in the win column, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (13-3, 3-0 WCC) picked up its first road victory of the season on Thursday night as the Dons delivered late to defeat Pacific (5-12, 0-3 WCC), 89-81, at Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Turning defense into offense to start things out, Malik Thomas forced a Tiger turnover just 18 seconds into play as the guard collected his first steal of the night before driving down the court and laying home the first two points of the game.
• Coming off the bench to provide support early, Veniamin Abosi converted on a jumper at 15:22 to keep the Dons in front, 10-3. Less than three minutes later, Tyrone Riley IV knocked down his first three-pointer of the game to make it 15-9 in favor of the green and gold.
• Responding in the minutes thereafter, Pacific reeled off a 9-0 run capped off by a layup from Elijah Fisher to take their first lead of the night, 17-15, at 9:26.
• Trading baskets as the half continued, Thomas put San Francisco back in control, 19-17, with a pair of free throws at 7:20, but the Tigers once again answered with an 8-2 run to jump back in the driver's seat, 25-21, with 4:58 left in the first half.
• Closing the gap, Abosi delivered again at 2:40 as the freshman nailed a triple on the wing to even the score at 29-all. With 1:21 remaining in the half, Thomas completed a three-point play to put San Francisco back on top, 34-33. However, Jefferson Koulilbaly would go on to knock down a jumper with 30 seconds left to help Pacific grab a one-point lead, 35-34, heading into the locker room.
• Beginning the second half on a hot streak, the Dons ripped off a 9-1 run out of the break to regain their advantage as Carlton Linguard Jr. tallied his own three-point play to make it an eight-point game, 43-35.
• Staying on the heels of the green and gold, Pacific trimmed their deficit to one point twice in the following minutes - once at 13:34 and once at 13:06. Neary the midway mark, Junjie Wang made the most of his opportunity as the forward buried a three-pointer at 9:35 to keep San Francisco in front, 59-55.
• Matching each other stride for stride as the game dwindled down, Pacific dug deep and used back-to-back baskets to hold a three-point lead, 73-70, with 3:56 remaining in regulation.
• Never wavering, Linguard Jr. and Tyrone Riley IV went on to knock down consecutive three-pointers for the green and gold to help the green and gold go back in front, 79-75, with 2:11 remaining.
• Showing the strength of a leader, Marcus Williams stepped up and knocked down all eight of his free throws over the final 1:09 to help the Dons put the nail in the coffin. Fighting off final attempts from the Tigers, San Francisco went on to take down Pacific, 89-81, on Thursday night.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Guiding his team from the point guard position, Williams was tabbed Player of the Game after finishing with 22 points, seven assists, three steals and two rebounds in 36 total minutes. Overall, the Dickinson, Texas native shot 5-of-13 from the field, 4-of-8 from distance and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
• Working alongside Williams in the backcourt, Thomas poured in a game-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two steals. For Thomas, the second-year Don also shot 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.
• Doing their part, Linguard Jr. and Riley IV also each finished with 13 points apiece as the duo shot a combined 9-of-14 overall .
• As a team, San Francisco led Pacific in points off turnovers (18-13) and bench points (11-2) while holding the Tigers to just five total assists.

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 Marcus Williams, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will head north to Pullman as the Dons are set to wrap up their road trip at Washington State this Saturday, Jan. 4. Tipoff from Beasley Coliseum is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT as Pat Olson will have the call live on KNBR 1050 at game time. 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 - Coca-Cola - 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.