SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Returning to the hardwood of Chase Center, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (5-2) led from wire-to-wire on Sunday evening as the Dons defeated Minnesota (4-2), 76-58, to pick up their fifth win of the season.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Just 26 seconds into play, San Francisco got on the board on a turnaround jumper from Marcus Williams to take an early 2-0 lead.
• Finding their rhythm out of the gates, the Dons continued their momentum to start things out as the Dons raced out to a 10-1 advantage following a pair of free throws from Marcus Williams at 16:07.
• Near the midway point of the first half, Minnesota had trimmed their deficit to four, 16-12, but three straight baskets by the green and gold - which was capped off by a triple from Ryan Beasley - put USF up by double digits for the first time on the night, 23-12.
• Maintaining control throughout the rest of the half, Volodymyr Markovetskyy converted on an and-one opportunity at the 7:50 mark to keep it an eleven-point game, 26-15.
• Although the Golden Gophers fought back to trail by single digits at the break, Beasley cashed in on a step back three-pointer as the first half buzzer expired to give San Francisco a 37-29 lead heading into the locker room.
• Moving into the second half, Minnesota clawed their way back to come within four, 47-43, following a layup from Pharrel Payne at 14:31.
• In the minutes to follow, the two teams matched each other from the floor, with neither team seeming to extend a run for longer than a few possessions.
• Down the stretch, the green and gold relied on their playmakers as a free throw from Jonathan Mogbo and back-to-back buckets from Mike Sharavjamts put the Dons back on top by double digits, 66-52.
• Relying on a team effort to close things out, USF kept firing to wrap up the contest as Beasley nailed another shot at the 1:09 mark to make it a 20-point game.
• Following one final basket from the Golden Gophers, San Francisco went on to defeat Minnesota by a final score of 76-58.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Improving with every game, Mogbo was tabbed Player of the Game after finishing with a new career-high 21 points (9-15 FG) to go along with 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists and 1 block in 32 minutes played.
• Getting comfortable in the offense, Williams hit 20 points for the second time in four games as the junior tallied 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist in 36 minutes. Overall, the guard was an efficient 9-of-14 from the floor and a perfect 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
• Alongside Mogbo and Williams, Sharavjamts (14 points) and Beasley (11 points) also finished in double figures. For Beasley, the freshman nailed three triples for the third time in seven games to begin his career as a Don.
• As a team, San Francisco never relinquished their lead on Sunday night as the Dons led the Golden Gophers in points in the paint (48-30), points off turnovers (25-5) and fast break points (10-1). 

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. 

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will hit the road this upcoming weekend as the Dons will travel back to Arizona for a battle at Arizona State on Sunday, Dec. 3. Tipoff from Desert Financial Arena is scheduled for 12:00 pm PST/1:00 pm MT. 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 - ABM - 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.