SAN DIEGO — A tight defensive battle in the first half turned into an offensive blowout in the second for the University of San Francisco men's basketball team Thursday, as the Dons rode the hot hand of Charles Minlend and outscored host San Diego by 20 to win their fifth West Coast Conference game in their last six, beating the Toreros, 69-44, at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Momentum may have begun to shift towards San Diego after James Jean-Marie kicked off the second-half scoring with a dunk. But that's when the San Francisco offense awakened, using two key runs in the first part of the second period to put the game away early.
   
• Charles Minlend scored the Dons' next nine points, going on his own personal 9-2 run against the Toreros and forcing them to call a timeout while USF's halftime lead doubled to 10 (36-26) with 14 minutes, 14 seconds still left to play. San Diego had started the half shooting 1 for 6 with two turnovers while Minlend ran amuck.
   
• USD looked to be settling down five minutes into the second stanza, making 3-of-4 shots and getting USF's lead back to single digits at eight -- but then came another big Dons run, this one putting the game out of reach midway through the second.
   
• An 11-0 stretch capped by a three-point play from Minlend and featuring points from Jimbo Lull (2), Khalil Shabazz (3) and Minlend (6) exploded the Dons' lead to 19 at 49-30 with 10:42 to play, and what had been a close battle the entire first half was now all in USF's hands.
   
• All told, the Dons shot 54.8% in the second half alone and outscored San Diego, 42-22, to win by 25, their third-largest margin of victory of the season and their biggest WCC win nearly five years - since beating Loyola Marymount on the road by 27 on Feb. 19, 2015. The USF defense also continued to shine after halftime, holding San Diego to 33.3% from the floor (1 for 6 from beyond the arc), outrebounding it, 22-17, and forcing seven turnovers.
   
• Only a five-point game at halftime (27-22), San Francisco (16-7, 5-3 WCC) was clinging to a slim lead after both teams had bothered the other for the first 20 minutes. USF outshot the Toreros in the first half, but it was only 32.0% to 25.9%. That included an 0-for-6 effort by USD from 3-point range.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• Minlend led the Dons to victory with 21 points and 10 rebounds for the only double-double of the game. 19 of his points came in the second half on 8-for-14 shooting.
• Other double-digit scorers for the Dons included Lull and Shabazz, both notching 15 points. Lull was on his way to a double-double, grabbing the second-most rebounds for the Dons with seven and had an assist. Shabazz added three rebounds and an assist as well.
• The Dons' bench scored 22 points, outscoring USD's reserves, 22-13.
• The win over San Diego marks the Dons' second straight victory and fifth in their last six games - all WCC triumphs.

NEXT UP

• The Dons are back home on Saturday to face WCC leader and No. 2/2-ranked Gonzaga at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Saturday's game is set for a 1 p.m. start and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area. 

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Please mark your calendars for the Hall of Fame Dinner on February 21st at 6:30 PM in the McClaren Conference Center on USF's campus. We will honor our Dons of the Year, Kevin and Susan Hanley, as well as our inductees that include Dior Lowhorn (men's basketball, 2010), Joy Boyenga (women's basketball, 1992), and Kyle Zimmer (baseball, 2012). Tickets are available now at usfdons.com/halloffame.