SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Capping off the week against a familiar foe, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (15-5, 4-1 WCC) fought until the final whistle on Saturday night, but ultimately fell to Saint Mary's (14-6, 5-0 WCC), 77-60, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Beginning the evening on a hot streak, Saint Mary's got off to a strong start by knocking down their first three attempts from beyond-the-arc as the Gaels got off to a 9-3 lead at the 16:53 mark.
• Fighting back on the next possession, Ndewedo Newbury danced through the paint at 16:10 to make it a five-point game, 10-5. Responding right after, Aidan Mahaney and Joshua Jefferson followed suit by nailing two more triples for SMC to push their advantage to 16-5 at 15:12.
• Keeping pace, Saint Mary's continued to answer each basket that the Dons would make as another three-pointer courtesy of Mahaney at 10:49 stretched the score to 26-12 in favor of the Gaels.
• Working their way back as the half played on, San Francisco reeled off a 6-0 run as the midway mark of the first half crossed, which was capped off by a jumper from Malik Thomas at 8:09 to make it an eight-point game, 26-18.
• After a jumper from Jefferson gave Saint Mary's their double-digit lead back at the 6:53 mark, USF used six straight points again to cut into their deficit. Converting on a jumper of his own in the paint at 4:25, Ryan Beasley brought the green and gold within six, 32-26.
• Finding a way to score once more, Newbury made a layup to keep the Dons within eight, 36-28, with 1:05 left in the half, but Mahaney closed out the first twenty minutes of action with his third made three to give Saint Mary's an eleven-point advantage, 39-28, heading into the locker room.
• Coming out of the break, the Gaels netted the first two baskets of the second half to extend their lead to fifteen, 43-28.
• Just a few minutes later, USF would continue to battle as a pair of free throws from Malik Thomas at 15:16 made it a twelve-point game in favor of SMC, 49-37.
• As San Francisco kept searching for a game-changing run throughout most of the second half, Saint Mary's kept their foot on the throttle and never waivered for the remainder of the ballgame. Although a three-pointer from Mike Sharavjamts brought the green and gold back within 13 points, 73-60, it was too little too late for the Dons this time around as Mahaney sunk his fourth triple of the night followed by a free throw from Jefferson to wrap up the contest and secure a 77-60 road victory for Saint Mary's.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Providing a spark off the bench for San Francisco, Beasley finished with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Additionally, the freshman added three rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes played.
• Offensively, Thomas (12 points) and Jonathan Mogbo (11 points) also finished in double figures for USF as the two went a combined 11-of-13 from the line. Defensively, Marcus Williams tied his season-high with three steals against the Gaels. 
• As a team, San Francisco led Saint Mary's in points in the paint (34-32) and bench points (22-6).  

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's contest, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will head to the Pacific Northwest next week as the Dons will battle Gonzaga on Thursday, Jan. 25 in Spokane before heading south for a matchup at Portland on Saturday, Jan. 27. 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 - 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.