SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Getting back in the win column with a dominant victory, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (13-9, 2-5 WCC) led wire-to-wire against Pacific (10-11, 3-3 WCC) on Thursday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center as the Dons raced past the Tigers, 78-57.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Following a few scoreless minutes to open the contest, Zane Meeks got the scoring started with a dunk at 16:30 to give USF an early 2-0 advantage.
- Never relinquishing their lead for the rest of the night, USF continued to find rhythm as the first half played on. At 6:43, Josh Kunen found Tyrell Roberts for a layup down low to help the Dons stretch their lead to double digits, 24-13.
- Firing on all cylinders heading into the locker room, USF closed the first twenty minutes of action on a 9-0 run as a three-pointer from Roberts with four seconds left gave the green and gold a nineteen-point halftime lead, 41-22.
- Coming out of the break, back-to-back baskets from Meeks pushed USF's advantage to twenty-two, 45-23, at the 18:47 mark.
- Seeing his first minutes of the year against the Tigers, Ndewedo Newbury provided a spark off the bench for the Dons, which included knocking down a triple of his own at the 15:53 to keep USF in control, 51-26.
- Continuing his stellar play, Newbury found a wide-open Saba Gigiberia down low for a two-handed slam with 9:31 remaining to give the green and gold a thirty-point lead, 70-40.
- Piecing together a total team victory, USF kept their foot on the gas pedal down the stretch as the Dons cruised to a bounce-back on the Hilltop by a final score of 78-57.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Enjoying a career-night in all facets, Newbury was named Player of the Game after totaling 9 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists in 27 minutes played on Thursday night. Notably, the sophomore also went 2-of-4 from beyond-the-arc.
- Playing with efficiency on the offensive end, Kunen impressed by tallying 13 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from distance. Additionally, the forward also grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists in 16 minutes played.
- Alongside Newbury and Kunen, Meeks (17 points) and Roberts (13 points) each also finished in double figures for the Dons.
- As a team, USF led Pacific in points in the paint (34-20), points off turnovers (15-9) and fast break points (13-4).
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will close out their three-game homestand with a 5:00 pm matchup against BYU this Saturday, Jan. 21 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. This contest will air live on CBS Sports Network and KNBR 1050 at game time. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links are available via the
team's schedule page. Tickets to Saturday's game are also available via the
team's schedule page and
usfdons.com/tickets.
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.
