GLENDALE, Ariz. - Coming down to the wire after a back-and-forth affair, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (2-2) fell to Grand Canyon (3-0), 76-72, in a neutral site matchup at Desert Diamond Arena on Friday night.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• After Grand Canyon scored the first basket of the game 42 seconds into play, San Francisco got on the board on a tip-in layup from Jonathan Mogbo at the 18:55 mark in the first half.
• Trading buckets to begin the evening, back-to-back three-pointers from Mike Sharavjamts and Josh Kunen kept the Dons on the heels of the Lopes early, 9-8.
• With defense on display to start things out, Marcus Williams joined the action with a triple of his own at 13:13 to keep it a three-point game, 14-11. Just a few minutes later, Isaiah Hawthorne drew a foul on a driving layup at 11:36, which he sunk to make it a one-point contest, 14-13.
• As the midway point of the first half crossed, GCU began to find their groove offensively as three consecutive baskets put the Lopes up by seven, 20-13, at the 8:29 mark.
• Clawing back with each possession, Ndewedo Newbury knocked down a shot of his own from behind-the-arc at 6:53 to keep it close, 22-17.
• Returning the favor, Tyon Grant-Foster followed suit by nailing back-to-back treys for GCU to put the Lopes up nine, 28-19, with 4:47 remaining in the half.
• Turning the tides to close the first twenty minutes, San Francisco rallied with a 17-5 run to wrap up the first half, which was capped off by a triple from Sharavjamts at the top of the arc to end the period and give the Dons their first lead of the night, 36-33, at the break.
• Out of the locker room, San Francisco continued their momentum as an alley-oop from Mogbo and consecutive baskets from Sharavjamts helped the Dons spark a 7-3 run to extend their advantage through the first four minutes of the second half, 43-36.
• Answering right back, Grand Canyon used a 7-2 spurt of their own to fight back within two points, 45-43, at 15:57.
• Similar to the first half, the two teams traded baskets in the minutes to follow, but the green and gold pulled in front by six, 56-50, after five straight points from Marcus Williams near the midway point of the second half.
• Seeming to match each other blow-for-blow, GCU used a 7-2 run to come back within one point, 58-57, at the 9:07 mark, but the Dons stayed resilient on offense. Despite the Lopes taking a one-point lead at 7:54, a layup from Stefan Todorovic and two free throws from Mogbo kept the green and gold on top, 64-61.
• Down the stretch, neither side gained more than a three-point advantage as each bucket came with a response from the opposition. After a pair of free throws from Sharavjamts tied things up at 70 with 2:02 remaining, GCU went on to outscore the Dons in the final two plus minutes.
• Hanging on to take home the victory, Grand Canyon went on to defeat San Francisco by four points, 76-72.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Leading the charge offensively, Williams recorded a new season-high with 20 points to go along with three assists, one rebound, one block and one steal in 32 minutes played.
• Alongside Williams, Sharavjamts tallied a new career-high with 16 points in 28 minutes played. Overall, the sophomore also added three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
• Overall, San Francisco led GCU in points in the paint (30-28), second chance points (9-8) and bench points (12-0).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Gerlufsen, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will close out play in the inaugural Arizona Tip-Off tournament on Sunday, Nov. 19 with a matchup against DePaul (1-3) at 1:30 pm PT/2:30 pm MT. Live streaming, radio and live statistics are available via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Coca-Cola - 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.