University of San Francisco
3-0,0-0WCC
Montana
1-2,0-0Big Sky
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 28 | 30 | 58 |
| San Francisco | 26 | 37 | 63 |
11/10/2026 11:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco men's basketball was held to 41% from the floor, including 4-for-17 (24%) from beyond the arc. The Dons committed 16 turnovers. And after having not trailed at any point in winning its first two games, USF led Montana for only 6:53 in their matchup on the Hilltop on Tuesday night.
And yet … the Dons made the key plays down the stretch to knock off the Grizzlies 63-58 to improve to 3-0.
"We have a lot of things that we need to get better at," USF head coach Chris Gerlufsen said. "We're a new group, but you can't take away that we did find a way to win when we needed to. …
"Yeah, we're certainly not going to hand a win back regardless of what it looked like."
For most of the first 34 minutes, it looked like the Dons would absorb their first loss of the season. Then Ben Oosterbaan, a junior transfer from St. Thomas, and fellow forward Ndewedo "Chips" Newbury, who's in his sixth year in the USF program, took control of the proceedings.
USF trailed 48-43 with just more than six minutes remaining. Oosterbaan then drove the lane and converted a layup as he got fouled. He missed the ensuing free-throw try, but hustled to grab the rebound and dropped home another layup to cut the Dons' deficit to one.
About a minute later, Newbury missed a 3-point try, but Oosterbaan was in the right place at the right time. His follow put USF in front 50-49 with 4:54 left. It was the Dons' first lead since it was 6-5 less than six minutes into the game.
Then with less than two minutes to go and the game tied 56-56, Dylan Bordon fed Newbury on the left side. Newbury sliced along the baseline and made a crossunder layup while absorbing a foul. He hit the foul shot to give the Dons a 59-56 advantage with 1:24 left.
They held the lead the rest of the way.
"Comeback wins are always pretty big for me," said Newbury, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds. "I'm big on comeback wins."
It's understandable that Newbury would particularly appreciate comeback wins. He returned to the court this month after missing nearly two years while rehabbing a leg injury.
"I don't think I've ever seen somebody rehab more than Chips," Oosterbaan said. "He's grinding in the weight room, the training room. …
"He's been battling through some stuff. He came through tonight. We need Chips and it's great to see him out there. I'm super happy for him."
Oosterbaan, who's from Hinsdale, Ill., had game-high-tying totals of 16 points and 10 boards.
"He's just a competitor," Gerlufsen said. "He figures out a way to affect the game on both sides of the ball. (It) always feel like he makes a big basket when we need it, a momentum play. He's a tough Midwest kid. Can't say enough about him."
And though Gerlufsen wasn't particularly pleased with his team's effort and execution for much of the game, he did like the fact that USF limited Montana (1-2) to 18-for-50 from the floor, including 5-for-20 from long range, and forced 17 turnovers.
USF had to do without center Ismaila Diagne, who was not in the building because of the flu. Some of the Dons' players and coaches also weren't feeling great but did get through the evening.
"We have a handful of guys who are under the weather," Gerlufsen said, "but as I told the team: No one cares. That's life. You've got to figure out a way. Next man up. Rally together and still approach and play the game with reckless abandon.
"I didn't think we necessarily did that until our backs were against the wall."
Oosterbaan said, "When you really have to make the plays … I feel like that's kind of when the best comes out of a lot of players, and it just happened tonight."  Â
Notes: San Francisco looks to go 4-0 when it hosts Portland State at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Vikings (1-1) play at Colorado State on Wednesday night. … USF forward Gustav Knudsen matched Oosterbaan with 10 rebounds. The Dons owned a 37-32 edge on the boards though they were outrebounded 17-14 in the first half.
