PORTLAND, Ore. - Getting back in the win column with a double-digit victory on the road, the University of San Francisco men's basketball (16-6, 5-2 WCC) bounced back on Saturday evening as the Dons outlasted Portland (7-15, 1-6 WCC), 76-64, at the Chiles Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Portland got on the scoreboard first on a three-pointer from Juan Sebastian Gorosito at 18:46, but Ndewedo Newbury picked up where he left off last game and netted the first basket of the evening for San Francisco on a driving layup at the 17:47 mark.
• Just a few possessions later, Newbury scored again on a layup at 16:58 to give the Dons their first lead of the evening before Jonathan Mogbo stretched the advantage to 6-3 with a layup of his own at 16:31. Although the Pilots would even the score at 6-6 on a three from Vukasin Masic at 16:21, the green and gold responded by reeling off five straight points, which was capped off by a triple from Josh Kunen, to make it a five point contest, 11-6, at 15:42.
• Keeping pace as the game played on, another basket courtesy of Kunen kept USF in front by five, 15-10, at the 11:40 mark. As the midway mark of the first half passed, Newbury kept rolling early by nailing a three-pointer of his own off of a Pilot turnover to widen San Francisco's lead to six points, 18-12, at 9:14.
• Pushing the score to an eight-point advantage, Isaiah Hawthorne knocked down a trey on a fastbreak at 6:18 to make it 26-18 in favor of the Dons. Battling back after USF widened the gap, Portland reeled off a 9-3 run as the half wound down to cut their deficit to just two points, 31-29, following another three-pointer from Gorosito at 2:49.
• Closing out the first twenty minutes of action on a high note, San Francisco locked in for the remainder of the first half as the green and gold netted eight straight points to wrap up the half and take an eleven-point lead, 40-29, heading into the locker room.
• Staying steady on offense out of the break, Mogbo converted on a jumper in the paint 43 seconds into the second half to push USF's advantage to thirteen, 42-29. After the two teams traded baskets in the minutes to follow, Newbury cashed in on a three at 17:03 to put San Francisco on top by fourteen, 47-33.
• Although the Pilots would answer by trimming the gap to seven points, 48-41, after another three from Gorosito, the Dons punched back and poured it on offensively as five consecutive points from USF around the nine-minute mark kept San Francisco in control by eighteen, 65-47.
• At the 5:13 mark, Ryan Beasley sank a three to hold the lead at eighteen, 72-54, but Portland would not go down without a fight down the stretch. With 1:29 left in regulation, a fastbreak jumper from Tyler Robertson brought Portland within single digits, 73-64.
• Knocking down their final three attempts at the free throw line to close out the contest, San Francisco got back in the win column by hanging on to take down the Pilots by a final score of 76-64.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Getting back in rhythm against UP, Mogbo was named Player of the Game after flirting with a triple-double once again by finishing with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists on 6-of-9 from the field. Playing 26 total minutes, the forward logged his eleventh double-double of the season in the victory.
• Tying his career-high in points, Newbury impressed by tallying 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals in 37 minutes played. Notably, the junior shot 8-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond-the-arc.
• Alongside Mogbo and Newbury, Malik Thomas finished in double figures for the twelfth straight game by adding 15 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals on 6-of-14 from the field. Overall, the guard also finished 3-of-7 from distance and 2-of-3 from the free throw line.
• As a team, San Francisco led Portland in points in the paint (34-18), points off turnovers (22-10), second chance points (5-0), fast break points (23-7) and bench points (15-2). Additionally, USF recorded 22 assists in the win, marking the sixth time this season the Dons have recorded 20 or more assists. Defensively, the green and gold tallied 13 steals, their third-most in a game this year. 

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

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

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will return home to the Hilltop next week for another pair of West Coast Conference matchups as the Dons will host San Diego next Thursday, Feb. 1 before welcoming Pacific on Saturday, Feb. 3. 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.
 
FOLLOW US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - San Francisco Toyota - 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.