SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Remaining hot to start conference play, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (14-4, 3-0 WCC) returned home to the Hilltop in a big way on Saturday night as the Dons defeated Portland (7-11, 1-2 WCC ), 96-69, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• With defense taking charge to open play, San Francisco got on the board first on a three-pointer from Malik Thomas at 18:03 to take an early 3-0 lead.
• Knocking down their shots in the minutes to follow, the Dons stretched their lead to eight, 11-3, in the beginning minutes of the contest following another triple, this time courtesy of Marcus Williams at 15:53.
• Over the next two plus minutes, Portland responded by reeling off an 8-0 run to even things up at eleven at the 13:25 mark.
• Trading baskets as the midway point of the first half passed, USF jumped back in front on a made three from Ndewedo Newbury at 11:57 before another three from the forward at 9:25 made it a four-point game in favor of the green and gold, 21-17.
• Keeping the momentum rolling, a jumper from Malik Thomas at 7:10 kept it a seven-point game, 28-21.
• With just under five minutes left in the half, back-to-back baskets from Mike Sharavjamts and Jonathan Mogbo pushed it to a nine-point game, 37-28, with San Francisco in control. Answering back once again, the Pilots trimmed their deficit to four, 37-33, at 3:07 after a made free throw from Tyler Robertson.
• Wrapping up the first twenty minutes of half, one final jumper from Sharavjamts with 45 seconds left on the clock gave the Dons an eight-point advantage, 44-36, heading into the locker room.
• Coming out of the break, Newbury cashed in on his third triple of the night at 17:17 to give USF a ten-point lead, 50-40.
• Trading blows, the two teams matched each other offensively shortly thereafter as it wasn't until around the 13-minute mark when the Dons would break out again. 
• Using a 12-3 run that began with Newbury's fourth made three, San Francisco blew the game open and extended their advantage to 23 (77-54) on a fastbreak dunk from Mogbo at 10:05.
• Taking control on their home floor, a layup from Sharavjamts at 7:33 made it a 29-point game, 86-57, as the green and gold continued to have their way. Keeping their distance the same, Newbury sank his sixth and final three-pointer at 6:44 before another jumper at 5:39 gave USF a 91-62 lead.
• Securing their fifth win by 20+ points in their last six games, San Francisco cruised to the finish line as the Dons went on to take down Portland by a final score of 96-69.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Enjoying a career night offensively, Newbury was named Player of the Game after finishing with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists in 28 total minutes. Overall, the junior shot 8-of-12 from the field and an impressive 6-of-10 from beyond-the-arc as he finished with career-highs in points and three-pointers made while also tying his career-high in blocks.
• Flourishing since entering the starting lineup, Thomas poured in a career and game-high 26 points in 28 minutes to go along with 5 rebounds and 1 steal. Notably, he shot 10-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.
• Playing their part, Mogbo (18 points), Williams (12 points) and Sharavjamts (10 points) also all finished in double figures. For Mogbo, the dynamic forward logged his ninth double-double against the Pilots as he also pulled down 14 rebounds in addition to 4 assists and 1 steal. Notably, it was also his fourth straight double-double for the Dons.
• As a unit, San Francisco led Portland in points in the paint (44-20), points off turnovers (13-12), second chance points (16-12) and fast break points (18-6).
• With the win, USF also begins WCC play with a 3-0 record for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Additionally, the six straight victories by the Dons also marks San Francisco's longest winning streak since the green and gold won six in a row to begin the 2022-23 campaign.  

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame highlights of tonight's contest, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Gerlufsen and Ndewedo Newbury, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will remain home next week as the Dons will welcome two more WCC opponents to the Hilltop. On Thursday, Jan. 18, USF will square off against LMU at 8:00 pm followed by a 7:00 pm battle against Saint Mary's on Saturday, Jan. 20. Live streaming, radio, live statistics and ticket links 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.