Box Score
(San Francisco) – San Francisco got a big night from junior forward Perris Blackwell and shook off a slow start to down Menlo College 66-36 in non-conference action Saturday night at War Memorial Gym. The Dons (9-3) win their fourth straight game at the expense of the Oaks (2-11) and are off to the program's best start since 1999-00.
USF opened the 1999-00 campaign with a road loss to Maryland in the Preseason NIT before reeling off 12 consecutive victories. The Dons entered West Coast Conference play with a 13-1 record.
Blackwell powered the Dons with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double performance. It was the ninth career double-double for Blackwell, who converted on all seven of his free throw attempts and shot .500 (6-12) from the floor. Three players – Angelo Caloiaro, Jay Wey and Michael Williams – scored seven points for USF.
It was a sweet night for Wey, who at long last made his Green and Gold debut. The senior transfer drilled a pair of 3-pointers, pulled down three rebounds and dished a pretty assist in eight minutes.
San Francisco and Menlo were deadlocked at 20 at halftime. The Dons roared out of the gate in the second half and used a 25-5 run to erase all doubt.
USF held a 48-32 rebound advantage. The Dons did not shoot well, converting on a season-low .350 (21-60), including a chilly .233 (7-30) in the opening frame.
San Francisco returns to action when it travels to the East Coast to take on Holy Cross in a Jesuit Spotlight contest Thursday, December 22. Game time against the Crusaders is set for 4:00 PM (PT) in a game streamed live on USFDons.com via Stretch Internet.
