SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Grinding out their second straight win to begin the year, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team used a gritty performance on Thursday night to take down Cal Poly, 60-48, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Following a layup from Saba Gigiberia to open the contest at 19:37, USF remained on top early, 6-5, after a fastbreak layup from Khalil Shabazz at 16:42.
- Unable to find much rhythm offensively to begin the game, the two teams remained close at the midway point of the first half, but the Dons remained in front, 13-11, on a three-pointer from Shabazz at 8:28.
- Knotted up at 20 with just over three minutes left before halftime, the Mustangs answered by outscoring the Dons, 7-4, to close the first half as Cal Poly held a 27-24 lead at the break.
- Flipping the script out of the locker room, USF responded by beginning the second half with a 12-2 run of their own, which included contributions from Gigiberia, Shabazz, Tyrell Roberts and Julian Rishwain.
- Down the stretch, Cal Poly showed fight as they clawed back to within three, 40-37, with 8:18 left in regulation. Defending their home court, this is as close as the Mustangs would get as the Dons pressed their foot on the gas pedal to extend their advantage to double digits.
- After Toni Rocak and Rishwain each sunk a pair of free throws with just over one minute left on the game clock, USF remained in control, 57-43.
- Locking down on defense for a majority of the game, the Dons shut down the Mustangs to close the night and secure the 60-48 victory over Cal Poly.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Dangerous on both ends of the floor, Shabazz finished with a game-high 18 points (6-13 FG, 2-7 3PT) in addition to adding seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes played.
- Logging double figures for the second straight game to begin his career in the green and gold, Roberts tallied 12 points (4-12 FG, 2-6 3PT) to go along with six rebounds and three steals in 35 minutes on the hardwood.
- As a team, USF led Cal Poly in points in the paint (28-24), points off turnovers (20-14), second chance points (7-4), fast break points (18-4) and bench points (11-4) while also holding the Mustangs to 37.0 percent (17-46) from the field and 33.3 percent (3-9) from behind-the-arc.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will close out their three-game homestand to open the season with a 2:00 pm matinee against UC Merced this Sunday, Nov. 13. Live streaming, live statistics, radio and ticket links are available via the
team's schedule page.
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at
www.usfdons.com/shop.
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact
Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.
