SAN FRANCISCO – For the third time this season the University of San Francisco men's basketball team needed extra time to decide a winner and Saturday it was USF's defense down the stretch that sent the faithful home happy. USF held the Pepperdine Waves to one free throw and a meaningless field goal at the buzzer to win, 63-61, at War Memorial the Sobrato Center.
 
The Dons (18-11, 7-7 WCC) had two players finish in double figures with Charles Minlend recording his fourth career double-double, finishing with 19 points and grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds. Trevante Anderson was a huge spark for the Dons, finishing with 11 points in a career-high 17 minutes of action.

USF struggled from inside the arc Saturday. USF went 10 for 29 from distance and was 12 for 39 from inside the arc. Pepperdine (15-14, 8-7 WCC) had four players finish and were led by all-conference guard Colbey Ross' game-high 20 points. Ross was 8 for 22 from the field tonight and 4 for 12 from long range. But when it mattered most, Ross came up empty, missing his final eight shots including the last shot in regulation and all four attempts in overtime.
 
The Dons put the game away at the charity stripe. With less than 10 seconds in regulation and the Waves leading, 58-56, Minlend, who entered the game shooting 63% from the free-throw line, calmly nailed both halves of a crucial 1-and-1. In extra time, Jordan Ratinho hit 3-of-4 to put the game away.
 
The back-and-forth game featured 14 lead changes. The Dons, who led at the half by one, built their lead to nine less than three minutes into the second half. It was their largest lead of the contest. USF led for a total of 25 minutes, with the Waves leading the other 14.
 
NOTABLE NUMBERS
2: Head coach Todd Golden earned the second overtime win of his career. USF improves to 2-1 under Golden in overtime games. The other win was an 84-79 win over Yale on Nov. 11.
10: USF made 10 3-point field goals for the 11th time – USF is 11-0 when making 10 or more 3-point field goals.
25:  The Dons' bench was very active on the evening, scoring 25 of USF's 63 points. 
53: The Dons grabbed a season-high 53 rebounds on the night. The previous high was the 52 grabbed against Sonoma State in the opener.
 
NEXT UP
The Dons will play their final regular season contest on Thursday when USF hosts Portland.  Thursday's game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip and will be streamed live on The WCC Network.