MORAGA, Calif. - Making the quick trip across the Bay, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (16-6, 6-3 WCC) couldn't muster enough momentum in the second half to overcome Saint Mary's (17-3, 7-0 WCC) on Thursday night as the Gaels topped the Dons, 71-51, at University Credit Union Pavilion.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Even out of the gates, San Francisco and Saint Mary's exchanged baskets to open the contest before Malik Thomas converted on a jumper in the paint at 16:47 to give the Dons an early 7-5 lead.
• Continuing to trade blows in the minutes to follow, Paulius Murauskas gave SMC the lead with a layup at 14:02, but Carlton Linguard Jr. quickly responded by knocking down his first of four three-pointers in the opening half as the triple put the green and gold back in front, 14-13, at 13:38.
• Keeping pace, Marcus Williams converted from beyond-the-arc near the midway mark of the first half as the point guard sank his second three-pointer to knot the score at 17-all at 11:34.
• Enjoying success from distance, back-to-back threes from Linguard Jr. at 7:52 and 7:07 would keep San Francisco on the heels of the Gaels, 26-23, as the action played on. With 5:40 left in the opening half, a pair of free throws from Williams made it a one-point game, 26-25.
• Ending the first twenty minutes with momentum, Saint Mary's closed out the first half with a 10-3 run, but Linguard Jr.'s fourth triple came with just under four seconds left as San Francisco remained within eight points, 36-28, at the halftime break.
• Having their way out of the locker room, the Gaels began the second period with an 8-0 run to extend their advantage to sixteen points, 44-28.
• For the remainder of the contest, the Dons would not come within more than thirteen points as Saint Mary's dominated the second half to take down the Dons by a final score of 71-51.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Linguard Jr. and Williams finished as the leading scorers for San Francisco on Thursday night as each scored 14 points against SMC. Notably, Linguard's four three-pointers marked a new season-high.
• Defensively, Williams tied a season-high with two blocks while Junjie Wang and James O'Donnell also added one block each.
• Overall, San Francisco led Saint Mary's in fast break points, 6-2. 

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

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

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will return to the Hilltop this weekend as the Dons will welcome San Diego on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tipoff from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center is set for 7:00 pm as Deuce Mason and Ben Braun will have the call on ESPN+ while Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call on KNBR 1050. Live streaming, radio, live statistics and ticket 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.