SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The University of San Francisco overcame a sluggish first half earn a lopsided win over rival Santa Clara on Thursday night.  The Dons defense stymied the Broncos and a 10-0 run to end the first half was the difference as USF came out on top 73-50 at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
 
"For the first 10-12 minutes of the game we played really well we just weren't making shots," said head coach Todd Golden. "Defensively we were good. We were getting on the glass, which was a big emphasis for us going into this game.  We got some good looks, Josh got a lot of good looks early. Dzmitry got some good open threes. Credit to them, they did a good job of closing up the paint on the penetration early on.  That 10-0 run to end the first half gave us a lot of confidence and in the second – we just made a lot of shots. We started making some shots, went to the press and made the game more up tempo and that helped give us a boost."  
 
USF (10-7, 4-3 WCC) shot well overall going 28-for-63 from the field and 10-for-33 from 3-point range.  But the second half was the difference.  USF connected on a blistering 64.5 percent after halftime going 20-for-31, from 3-point range they were 5-for-10.
 
The Dons had four players finish in double figures led by Khalil Shabazz's game-high 22 points. He was one of three Dons who could not miss after the intermission.  Joining Shabazz in double figures was Dzmitry Ryuny with 15, Jamaree Bouyea had 13 and Josh Kunen chipped in 10. Bouyea is now nine points shy of 1,000 for his career.
 
Another big factor for the Dons big win over their rival, USF took ownership of the glass tonight.  Squaring off against the best rebounding team in the conference, the Dons outrebounded the Broncos 35-28.  The 28 rebounds well below Santa Clara's average of 40. USF also had a season-high 13 offensive rebounds that extended possessions.
 
A big reason for that was the play of senior forward Taavi Jurkatamm who had a career-high 11 rebounds, six on the offensive glass.  He finished two points shy of his first career double-double.
 
"I'm really proud of him because he answered," said Golden. "He played well in the first half on Saturday (against BYU) even though he didn't make any shots.  But in the second half he allowed his offense to affect his defensive rebounding and down the stretch he just didn't have as much fight as I expect out of him. We talked about that quite a bit this week and to his credit he answered the bell tonight.  To be plus seven on the boards in this game and for Taavi to have 11 – first of all it speaks volumes to our guys ability to be coachable and to understand what's important.  But more importantly it just shows their will to win. We knew we needed to have a solid rebounding night to win and we did that and Taavi was a big reason for that."
 
Santa Clara (8-4, 2-2 WCC) is held to 50 or less for the first time since March 8, 2019 against San Diego at the WCC tournament.  Tonight the Broncos shot 40.0 percent from the floor going 16-for-40, from long range they connected on 50.0 percent of their attempts (5-for-10). Three players finished in double figures led by Jalen William's 15. D.J. Mitchell had 13 and Josip Vrankic had 11.
 
The opening half was dominated by the defenses.  USF opened the contest on a small run and took an 11-4 lead.  The Broncos then took over going on a 17-2 run to lead to a 21-13 advantage. During that time USF was ice cold from the field and went over six minutes without a field goal.
 
With 2:53 left in the half, a traditional three-point play by Shabazz got the Dons offense back in gear.  From there, USF went on a 10-0 culminating with a 3-point field goal by Ryuny that put USF out front 23-21 to end the half.
 
The Dons started the second half with an 8-0 run and were red-hot from the field. USF opened the half 7-for-7 from the field.  Later on, a 14-2 by the Dons all but put the game on ice.  Shabazz, Bouyea, and Ryuny combined to score 40 points in the half and USF's pressure defense helped the Dons score 20 points off turnovers after the intermission.
 
The 23 point win over the Broncos tonight was the fifth largest ever by USF over their rival.  It was the fewest points allowed by the Dons against the Broncos since January 24, 2004 when the Dons beat the Broncos 64-48 on the Hilltop.
 
Rivalry week continues for the USF on Saturday when they host Saint Mary's at 4:00 p.m. Saturday's game will be televised coast-to-coast on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz and Dann Dickau on the call.  Pat Olson will have the Dons radio broadcast which will air on KNBR's main network, 680-AM.