SPOKANE, Wash. – Three scored in double-figures for the University of San Francisco men's basketball team who were once again led by
Frankie Ferrari and
Charles Minlend who had 14 points each.
Nate Renfro joined them in double-figures with 10, however it was not enough as the Dons fell to No. 4 Gonzaga, 92-62 at the McCarthy Athletic Center.
USF (17-6, 5-4 WCC) shot 38.8 percent from the field, going 26-for-67 and were 5-for-16 from the 3-point range. It was the free throw shooting that was the difference. The Dons were just 5-for-12 from the charity stripe meanwhile the Bulldogs (22-2, 9-0 WCC) were 22-for-27 from 15 feet.
Early in the first half the Dons followed the script of the first contest, playing the Bulldogs close. With 11:26 in the period, USF trailed by three, 16-13. At that point the two sides were dead even, with 10 points in the paint each, USF refused to be intimidated by the shot blocking ability of Brandon Clarke in the early going.
With less than six minutes to play the Bulldogs got some separation, going up nine on a 3-point field goal by Geno Crandall. But USF refused to go quietly, and went on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to three forcing the Bulldogs to use a timeout. Renfro the catalyst during that stretch, blocking Rui Hachimura and then getting another offensive rebound for the easy put back.
The closing minutes of the first half turned into a 3-point shooting contest with both teams trading buckets from long range. The Dons cut the deficit to six on a three led by Minlend – his 10th point of the half. Unfortunately, the next series Minlend picked up his third foul of the half. The Bulldogs extended their lead to 13 at the half thanks to some help from the charity stripe. GU was 10-for-12 at the free throw line in the opening period.
Out of the break, the Bulldogs went on an early run. The Dons spent the remainder of the half battling. USF cut it to 10, but Gonzaga responded. With 10:09 in the contest they hit a pair of free throws to go up 22, and it never got closer.
Gonzaga finished with four players in double-figures and was led by Brandon Clark's game-high 20 points and 16 rebounds. Hachimura had 17, followed by Zach Norvell Jr's 16, Geno Crandall had 12. Gonzaga shot 50.0 percent from the field going 32-for-64.
NEXT UP
After a lengthy three game road trip, the Dons will finally return home on Saturday when they host rival Santa Clara at 8:00 p.m. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Bay Area.
