LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Coming down to the wire, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (8-3) dropped a hard-fought battle to New Mexico (10-0), 67-64, on Monday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Starting out matching each other stride-for-stride, USF and New Mexico were knotted at six in the first three minutes of the ballgame after a pair of free throws from Tyrell Roberts at 17:13.
- After the Lobos jumped in front in the minutes to follow, the Dons responded with an 11-0 run to take their first lead of the night, 17-10, as the midway point of the first half approached.
- Although UNM would be able to close the gap to two points, USF remained in a flow on offense as the green and gold did not relinquish their advantage before the halftime break. Connecting from downtown, Roberts pushed the Dons' lead to as many as twelve, 38-26, at the 2:19 mark.
- Heading into the locker room, USF remained in control, 38-31, over the Lobos.
- Coming out of the break, a layup from Volodymyr Markovetskyy kept the Dons on top, 45-37, at 16:31 in the second half. Just over one minute later, sharpshooter Zane Meeks nailed a triple of his own to give USF a nine-point advantage, 48-39, at 15:29.
- As the half played on, New Mexico showed their grit and determination as they continued to fight back. With 5:26 left on the game clock, a free throw from Jaelen House made it a one point game, 57-56, in favor of the Dons.
- Following a made three from Khalil Shabazz with 4:12 remaining in regulation, USF maintained a six point lead, 62-56. Shortly thereafter, the Lobos quickly flipped the script as UNM outscored the green and gold 11-2 to squeeze out a come-from-behind win, 67-64, over the Dons.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Finishing with a team-high 18 points, Shabazz shot 6-of-12 from the field overall as he also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds while also collecting five assists and two steals in 36 minutes played.
- Receiving his first start as a Don, Markovetskyy finished in double figures for the second straight game and third time this season as the big man tallied 12 points and eight rebounds on 5-of-9 from the floor.
- As a team, USF led New Mexico in points off turnovers (14-9) and bench points (18-9).
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will return to Las Vegas this weekend for their third battle of the year against an undefeated Mountain West team as the Dons head to UNLV for a 2:00 pm matchup this Saturday, Dec. 17 at Thomas & Mack Center. Live streaming, live statistics and radio links will be 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.
