SAN FRANCISCO – With 3.4 seconds left in regulation, nursing a two-point lead, freshman guard
Jamaree Bouyea did just enough on defense to keep sharp shooting Jordan Howard from getting a good look at a would-be game winning 3-point bucket as time expired. When the horn sounded the University of San Francisco men's basketball team captured a thrilling 78-76 win over visiting Central Arkansas on Monday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
USF (4-3) overcame a very slow start offensively to finish with 78 points, which is tied for a season-high. The Dons started the game with a 1-for-12 performance from beyond the arc, 0-for-11 after
Jordan Ratinho hit the Dons' first attempt from long range.
After trailing by nine with 8:51 in the first half, USF went on a 10-2 run that woke the offense up.
Frankie Ferrari did most of the heavy lifting, scoring 11 of his season-high 15 points before the intermission. From 3-point range, Ferrari was locked in going 3-for-5 in the period.
Foul trouble slowed him down offensively in the second half where Ratinho,
Remu Raitanen, and
Mladen Djordjevic stepped up. Ratinho finished with a team-high 17 points, while Raitanen and Djordjevic finished with nine, and eight points respectively.
In the second half, USF shot much better, going 14-for-33 (42.4 percent) from the floor. They finished the game going 38.1 percent from the field, including 35.5 percent from distance, in the second half USF went 6-for-14 from beyond the arc.
Central Arkansas (4-5) was led by Howard's game-high 27 points. He was one of three Bears in double figures. UCA shot 51 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from 3-point range, going 10-for-18, most of that coming from Howard who was 5-for-9 from long distance.
GAME NOTES
- The 78 points scored by the Dons matches their season-high that they scored against Sonoma State on Nov. 21.
- With tonight's win, the Dons are 2-0 on Monday nights this season, they also defeated Saint Francis on a Monday night for the first win of the season.The Dons are now 3-1 on Monday and Tuesday nights.
- UCA's 10-for-18 performance was a season-high allowed by the Dons defense.USF entered tonight's contest No. 6 in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 24.5 percent from beyond the arc.
- USF's bench finished with 39 points on the evening, making it seven-straight the reserves have scored at least 26.The bench accounted for 21 of the Dons' 37 first half points.
- USF got back to cleaning up the glass.After getting outrebounded for the first time all season on Saturday, the Dons finished tonight +13 in the rebound margin, a season-best.
NEXT UP
The Dons return to action on Thursday evening, when Eastern Washington comes to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Tip off for the non-conference clash is slated for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting the
Dons Ticket Office or calling 415-422-2USF (2873).
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