SAN FRANCISCO — The University of San Francisco's men's basketball team overcame a 12-point second half deficit thanks to its red hot shooting from long range in the Dons 89-77 win over visiting Pepperdine on Thursday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
  
USF (19-6, 7-4 WCC) got a career-night from junior guard Jordan Ratinho who finished with a game-high 29 points, shooting 11-for-13 from the field - which included a blistering 7-for-9 mark from 3-point range.  Ratinho opened the game absolutely on fire going into the locker room 6-for-6 from the field to end the first half. He finally missed his first field goal attempt with 12:08 in the second half.

Frankie Ferrari (15) and Jamaree Bouyea (13) also scored in double-figures for San Francisco. As the Dons shot 53.4 percent from the field going 31-for-58.  From beyond the arc, the Dons shot 53.8 percent going 14-for-26. USF tied a season-high with 21 assists, five coming from Ferrari.

The Dons' furious comeback began at the 7:47 mark when USF went on a 10-0 run after Ratinho knocked down his seventh 3-pointer of the night which was immediately followed by Bouyea's strong layup inside the paint.  Bouyea kept it going with a solid shot from beyond the arc and his very own fast break layup that pushed the Dons to 72-69 lead. The sophomore guard from Seaside, Calif., scored 11 of his 13 points after the intermission.

San Francisco continued to take over offensively late in the second period when the team secured a 15-2 run with five minutes left to go in the game. Matt McCarthy sparked the offense after a traditional 3-point play that gave the Dons a 75-71 lead. USF stretched that lead more when Ratinho and McCarthy both finished with layups followed by Ferrari, Bouyea, Minlend and McCarthy all knocking down shots from the charity stripe to seal the victory.

Coming out of the intermission, Pepperdine put up 9-straight points solely off 3-pointers. The Waves (12-14, 5-7 WCC) were equally hot from distance, shooting 44.0 percent from 3-point rage. They finished the night 11-for-25 from beyond the arc and were 27-for-55 from the field. In the first half, Pepperdine shot 57.1 percent from the floor and were 6-for-11 from 3-point range. Colbey Ross was a thorn in the Dons side, finishing with a team-high 21 points along with nine assists.  He was one of four Pepperdine players in double figures.

GAME NOTES

• Jordan Ratinho opened the game 6-for-6 from 3-point range and finished the night 7-for-9 - one shy of the single game record set by Tomas Thomson vs. Loyola Marymount on Mar. 7, 1992.
• Ratinho's seven made three point field goals is a new career-high - his previous high was five that he has set twice this season. First against Sonoma State and matched in the win over Stephen F. Austin.
• With his seven made 3-point field goals, Ratinho now has sole possession of second for made 3-point field goals in USF history with 194. Ratinho trails only Ali Thomas (1997-01) who made 236 in his brilliant career.
• USF shot a season-high 53.8 percent from 3-point range tonight, the Dons finished 14-for-26. The 14 made 3-point field goals ties their season-high set against Maine on Nov. 10.  The Dons improve to 43-17 in the Kyle Smith era when making at least eight 3-point field goals.
• According to ESPN, with 11:08 in the second half with the Waves leading 65-55, Pepperdine's win probability was 81.6 percent.
• Ther 12 point deficit 16:59 in the second is the largest deficit overcome by the Dons this season.
• With nine points, Charles Minlend saw his double-digit scoring streak end at 21. The streak began on Nov. 18 against LIU Brooklyn.  He has scored 10 or more in 23 of 25 games this season.

UP NEXT
The Dons will board a flight on Friday and travel to the City of Roses to take on Portland at the Chiles Center on Saturday.  The game is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be televised on NBC Sports California+.