PROVO, Utah – The University of San Francisco men's basketball team trailed by as much as 25 to host BYU, the difference tonight was USF's cold shooting from long range.
 
The Dons opened the contest 0-for-8 from beyond the arc and finished 5-for-24.  BYU on the other hand was 12-for-25 from 3-point range while converting 16 USF turnovers into 22 points in a 90-76 win for BYU at the Marriott Center.
 
USF (16-10/5-6 WCC) had three players finish in double figures, Jimbo Lull led the team with 22 points in a tremendous effort.  The Dons' big man was 8-for-11 from the field and 6-for-8 from the line.  He also had a game-high seven rebounds. Khalil Shabazz had 16 – 14 in the second half.  Jordan Ratinho finished with 12.
 
The Dons finished with 40 of their 76 points in the paint and shot well from inside the arc.  USF shot well on the whole, shooting 47.4 percent from the field (27-for-57) – from inside the arc they were 22-for-33.
 
Five players made at least two threes for the BYU (19-7/8-3 WCC) who also had three players finish in double figures. Leading the Cougars was Yoeli Childs who had a game-high 32 points.  Childs went 14-for-23 from the field and 2-for-4 from 3-point range.  He also had six rebounds. Jake Toolson and TJ Haws had 13 each.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Dons came out strong making four of their first five baskets – USF, who was battling the flu earlier in the week, matched its offensive total from the first half of the Pacific game at the 9:45 mark on a layup by Josh Kunen.  The Dons scored a bulk of their points in the pain in the opening half.
 
• BYU took control midway through the opening half thanks to a 16-2 run.  Aiding that run by the Cougars was six turnovers by USF that led to 11 BYU points.  During that run the Dons opened the contest 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.
 
• The Cougars cooled off late in the first half and the Dons responded with a run of their own.  Ratinho hit a triple in front of the BYU bench to end an 0-for-8 stretch from beyond the arc. They cut the deficit to 12 and had looks to bring it to single digits but continued to be plagued by turnovers.
 
• BYU finished the half on a 7-0 run to go into the locker room leading 19, 44-25.  The Dons were 1-for-14 from beyond the arc, the Cougars were 6-for-14.  More damaging, USF's 12 turnovers led to 19 BYU points.
 
• Out of the break Lull scored five hard fought points for the Dons – but the Cougars responded with a 6-0 run to push their lead to 25 following a triple at the top of the arc by Childs. The two sides were even through most of the half scoring 30 points each. Every time the Dons went on a   run, BYU responded. 
 
• Down the stretch the Dons refused to go away, with 2:31 in the contest Trevante Anderson hit a pair of free throws that cut the deficit all the way to seven, 82-75 – that was as close as USF would get as the Cougars hit a couple of baskets late.
 
NOTABLE NUMBERS
4: Lull's 22 points is the fourth time in his career he has eclipsed the 20-point plateau, all four times coming this season.  The Dons are just 1-3 when Lull finishes with 20.
9: Nine players scored for the Dons tonight USF's bench finished with 27 points outscoring BYU's reserves by two. 
24: With his 16 points tonight, Khalil Shabazz is averaging 24 points against the Cougars.
40%: With the loss, the Dons fall to 15-5 when shooting 40 percent or better from the field. 
112: With his two 3-point field goals, Jordan Ratinho now has 112 threes in WCC play – he trails former Saint Mary's guard Matthew Dellavedova by 11 for 10^th all-time for three point field goals in conference play.
 
NEXT UP
The Dons return to the Bay Area for a matchup against Santa Clara on Thursday night.  Thursday's game is slated to tipoff at 6:00 p.m. at the Leavey Center and will be televised on NBC Sports Bay Area.
 

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Please mark your calendars for the Hall of Fame Dinner on February 21^st at 6:30 PM in the McLaren 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.