SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Getting back in the win column in a big way, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (21-7, 11-3 WCC) dominated San Diego (4-24, 1-14 WCC) on Saturday night as the Dons routed the Toreros, 84-61, at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net in the opening possessions of the ballgame as San Francisco did not get on the board until a pair of free throws from Ryan Beasley at 17:50.
• Trading baskets in the moments to follow, the two teams were knotted at 10-10 after a layup from Steven Jamerson II at 13:28, but the Dons would quickly turn the momentum in their favor shortly thereafter.
• Over the next three plus minutes, the green and gold locked down on offense while finding their groove offensively as USF reeled off a 13-0 run to take a 23-10 advantage after a three-pointer from Marcus Williams at 9:37. Malik Thomas kept the scoring coming as the guard cashed in on a three-pointer of his own to extend the San Francisco lead to thirteen points, 30-17, with 7:35 remaining in the opening period.
• Growing the gap to sixteen points as the half wound down, Williams converted on a jumper at 2:07 to make it 41-25 in favor of the Dons. Following four points from the Toreros to end the half, San Francisco maintained a double-digit advantage, 42-31, over San Diego heading into the halftime break.
• USF continued to apply pressure coming out of the locker room as San Francisco netted the first seven points of the second half to widen the score to 18 points, 49-31. Williams then pushed the lead over 20 points by converting a three-point play at 14:54 that put the Dons up 54-33.
• Near the midway mark of the period, Junjie Wang blew by the Torero defense to keep the green and gold in control, 63-41. At 8:53, Thomas wrapped a pass around a USD defender to find Williams at the top of the arc as the point guard knocked down another triple to help USF maintain a 22-point lead, 68-46.
• San Diego did not go down without a fight as the Toreros got within fourteen points down the stretch, but USD could never find the full rally they needed to come within single digits.
• With 4:35 remaining in regulation, Thomas achieved a significant milestone as he reached 1,000 career points by sinking the first of a pair of free throws. Subsequently, he then nailed the second free throw to put San Francisco up by 19 points, 75-56.
• Expanding the lead back to 20-plus, San Francisco left no doubt on Saturday night as the Dons went on to defeat San Diego by a final score of 84-61.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Williams was named Player of the Game after finishing with a game-high 23 points and team-high seven rebounds on 9-of-15 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond-the-arc and 3-of-5 from the free throw line. Additionally, the senior added three steals and one assist in the victory.
• Thomas went on to finish with 20 points on 5-of-11 from the field, 3-of-5 from distance and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. The senior also added five rebounds, three steals and one assist.
• Alongside Williams and Thomas, Carlton Linguard Jr. also finished in double figures with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 2-of-3 from deep. Linguard Jr. also tied Williams with a team-high seven rebounds to go along with two assists.
• As a team, San Francisco led San Diego in points in the paint (36-22) and points off turnovers (14-9).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

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

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will return home to the Hilltop for the final time during the regular season next week as the Dons will suit up next against Pacific on Thursday, Feb. 20. Tipoff from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center is scheduled for 7:00 pm as Ben Ross and Joaquin Wallace will have the call on ESPN+ while Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli will have the call on ESPN+. 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 - San Francisco Toyota - 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.