SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Back on the hardwood for the first time this season, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (1-0) took care of business on opening night as the Dons handled Texas Southern (0-1), 90-77, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on Monday evening.
For new head coach
Chris Gerlufsen, Monday's victory marked his first official win at the helm of the Dons.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Trading baskets to open the contest, USF stretched their early advantage to five, 10-5, after back-to-back layups from Zane Meeks and a converted free throw by Tyrell Roberts following a technical foul on the Tigers at 15:44.
- Throughout the remainder of the first half, the two 2022 NCAA Tournament teams continued to exchange blows, but the Dons maintained their five-point lead, 26-21, at the halfway mark after consecutive three-pointers from Roberts and Isaiah Hawthorne.
- Closing out the half with momentum, USF used a 15-7 run to wrap up the first twenty minutes of action, which included 12 first half points from Marcus Williams.
- Applying pressure out of the locker room, the green and gold extended their gap to 17, 56-39, on a thunderous two-handed slam from Saba Gigiberia at 17:20 in the second half.
- As the game played on, Texas Southern responded by trimming their deficit to just three, 59-56, with 13:13 remaining in regulation. Answering right back, this is as close as the Tigers would get for the rest of the night as the Dons reeled off yet another impressive offensive stretch, this time using a 16-0 run to distance themselves, 75-56.
- With just over five minutes left on the game clock, Julian Rishwain buried a contest triple to tie USF's largest lead of the night (19) as the Dons held an 83-64 lead.
- Riding out a double-digit victory behind four Dons in double figures, USF hung on to notch their second straight season-opening win with a 90-77 defeat of Texas Southern.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Taking charge in his first game in the green and gold, Roberts finished with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-5 from behind-the-arc. Additionally, the graduate transfer added four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 34 minutes played.
- Alongside Roberts in the backcourt, Khalil Shabazz did a little bit of everything on Monday night as the versatile guard tallied 8 points, 10 rebounds (ties career-high), three assists and two steals while also playing 34 minutes.
- Doing their part off the bench, Zane Meeks added 16 points (5-9 FG) and six rebounds to go along with Williams' 14 points and two assists.
- As a team, USF led Texas Southern in second chance points (14-4), bench points (49-14), points in the paint (40-32) and fast break points (15-10).
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will remain at home on the Hilltop for a Thursday night showdown with Cal Poly on Nov. 10, 2022. Tipoff from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center is set for 7:00 pm PST as live streaming, live statistics and radio links are available via the team's schedule page. Tickets to Thursday night's game are also available via usfdons.com/tickets or 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.
