SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Getting back in the win column at home on the Hilltop, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (8-2) took care of Merrimack (1-10), 69-51, on Wednesday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Getting things going early, Zane Meeks, who received his first start in the green and gold against the Warriors, netted five of USF's first seven points out of the gate to give the Dons a 7-4 advantage through the first three minutes of play.
• Continuing to hit their stride to begin the contest, a layup from Tyrell Roberts at 12:38 in the first half gave USF a double-digit lead for the first time, 18-7.
• Around the nine-minute mark, back-to-back baskets from Saba Gigiberia stretched the score to 24-11 in favor of the Dons.
• Following free throws from Roberts and Volodymyr Markovetskyy in the final two minutes of the half, USF maintained an eleven-point lead at the break, 34-23. Notably, these 23 points marked the lowest halftime total for an opponent by the Dons this season (Wichita State, 23 in first half on Nov. 22).
• Coming out of the locker room, Khalil Shabazz kept the Dons rolling with a jumper in the paint at 17:02 to push USF's advantage to sixteen, 39-23.
• Holding at least an eleven-point lead throughout the remainder of the evening, the Dons kept their intensity for a full 40 minutes as they also stifled Merrimack defensively. 
• Capping off another big night down low, Markovetskyy threw down a two-handed slam in the final moments of the ballgame and converted the and-one at the free throw line and secure an eighteen-point victory over the Warriors, 69-51.
• With the win, USF moves to 5-0 at home in 202-23 as the Dons have won 15 straight non-conference home games dating back to 2019-20.   

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• For his efforts, Markovetskyy was tabbed Player of the Game after finishing with a game-high 19 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. Additionally, his seven rebounds in 18 minutes played also marked a season-high for the Ukranian.
• Alongside Markovetskyy, Roberts (12 points) and Meeks (12 points) each finished in double figures for the Dons.
• As a team, USF held Merrimack to 3-of-25 (11.5 percent) from distance while topping the Warriors in points in the paint (38-28), points off turnovers (10-9), second chance points (22-5), fast break points (7-1) and bench points (29-15). Notably,the Dons also out rebounded Merrimack by 23, 41-17.       

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's game, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Gerlufsen and Zane Meeks, please click here.

UP NEXT:
USF will travel to the desert twice next week as the Dons will head to Las Vegas for a neutral site battle against New Mexico on Monday, Dec. 12 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Manadalay Bay Resort & Casino. Later in the week, the green and gold will face off against UNLV at Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, Dec. 17. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links for both games 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.