Dons Handle Mastadons on the Hilltop

Wednesday, November 22

San Francisco, Calif.

6:00 pm

University of San Francisco

4-2,0-0WCC

Purdue Fort Wayne

5-1,0-0Horizon

Team	1	2	F
Purdue Fort Wayne	22	38	60
San Francisco	28	48	76

Photo by: Christina Leung

11/22/2023 10:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Taking care of business to remain perfect at home, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (4-2) protected their home court on Wednesday night as the Dons handed Purdue Fort Wayne (5-1) their first loss of the year, 76-60, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

With the first few attempts of the evening rimming out, San Francisco got on the board a little over two minutes into the contest on a three-pointer from Mike Sharavjamts at the top of the arc, which knotted the game at 3-3 early.
Shortly thereafter, a two-hand slam from Jonathan Mogbo at 16:37 gave the Dons their first lead of the night, 6-5.
After the Mastadons answered to tie things up in the minutes to follow, back-to-back baskets from Marcus Williams and Josh Kunen kept USF up by four, 14-10, at the 12:25 mark.
As the midway point of the first half passed, the two teams continued to match each other, with neither side seeming to find separation in the opening minutes. At the under eight media timeout, the green and gold remained in control, 17-15.
Battling with every possession, San Francisco did not relinquish their advantage through the first twenty minutes of action as two free throws from Ryan Beasley to close the half gave the Dons a six-point lead, 28-22, at the break.
Coming out of the locker room, Purdue Fort Wayne came within three, 30-27, after a made dunk at 17:54, but Beasley knocked down consecutive shots from long distance to put the green and gold up by nine, 36-27, at 16:42.
After the Mastadons climbed back within five, 37-32, with just under 15 minutes remaining on the game clock, a jumper from Marcus Williams at 14:15 kept it a nine-point game in favor of the green and gold, 41-32.
With just over ten minutes left in regulation, Stefan Todorovic joined the party with a jumper of his own to grow USF's lead to double digits, 48-38.
Although Purdue Fort Wayne would not go down without a fight, San Francisco responded to every punch thrown by the Mastadons. Down the stretch, PFW rallied to come within five once more, but the Dons pushed the throttle to extend the gap back to double digits in the closing minutes.
Closing the contest on an 18-7 run, San Francisco took care of business to improve to 3-0 at home this season as the green and gold went on to defeat Purdue Fort Wayne by a final score of 76-60.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Recording his first double double of the campaign, Mogbo was tabbed Player of the Game after finishing with 15 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks on 5-of-9 from the floor. Additionally, he also went 5-of-6 from the free throw line in 32 total minutes.
Providing an electric spark off the bench, Beasley tallied a new season + career-high as the San Ramon native finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal in 28 minutes played.
Alongside Mogbo and Beasley, Williams (18 points) and Mike Sharavjamts (11 points) also finished in double figures for the Dons.
As a team, San Francisco led Purdue Fort Wayne in points in the paint (30-28), second chance points (16-7) and bench points (28-16).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

To view the full highlights of tonight's contest, please click here.
To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Gerlufsen, please click here.
To view the full postgame interview with Ryan Beasley, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will return to the hardwood this Sunday, Nov. 26 for the USF Legacy games at Chase Center as the Dons will square off against Minnesota at 5:30 pm. The contest will air live on CBS Sports Network and KNBR 1050 at gametime. Live streaming, radio and live statistics links will be 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 - Twenty Five Ventures - 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.