SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Riding a three-game win streak to open the campaign, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (3-0) will close out a season-opening homestand on Saturday night as the Dons are set to host Chicago State (0-3) for a 7:00 p.m. matchup at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

GAME 3 INFORMATION:
Opponent: Chicago State
Date: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm PT
Location: San Francisco, Calif. / War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Watch: ESPN+ (Barry Tompkins + Ben Braun)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson + Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• In their last time out on Wednesday night, San Francisco coasted to an 84-54 victory against Long Beach State, with the 30-point margin being the biggest of the young season for the green and gold.
• For a second straight contest, five Dons scored in double-figures as reigning WCC Player of the Week Malik Thomas once again led the team in scoring with 15 points on 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
• WCC Freshman of the Week Tyrone Riley IV piled on 14 points against the Beach on a perfect 5-of-5 clip from the field, including two made three-pointers.
• Marcus Williams and Ndewedo Newbury scored 11 and 10 points on Wednesday night, respectively. Williams, Newbury, Thomas and Riley IV are all averaging double-digit scoring for the USF through the first three games of the season.
• With a stellar start to the season, Thomas has averaged 20.0 points per contest, making him one of 64 Division I players that are averaging at least 20 points per game.
• Riley IV has started the campaign as one of the nation's best freshmen, with the 13th highest scoring average (16.7) and the 19th best field goal percentage (62.5) among all Division I freshmen this season.
• As a unit, San Francisco ranks top three in the WCC in free throw percentage (2nd, 80.3), blocks per game (2nd, 6.0), scoring margin (3rd, 16.3), opponent field goal percentage (3rd, 39.3) and steals per game (3rd, 8.33).

SCOUTING THE COUGARS:

• Chicago State will come to the Hilltop amidst a three-game skid to open its 2024-25 campaign, most recently losing at Texas on Tuesday night in a 105-58 ballgame.
• The Cougars are playing in their first season as members of the Northeast Conference after spending two years as an independent following their departure from the WAC.
• Last season, Chicago State made the CBI as the 15th and final seed following a 12-18 regular season. In the first round, Chicago State pulled off an upset 77-75 victory over No. 2 seed UC San Diego before narrowly losing to No. 7 seed Fairfield, 77-74, in the quarterfinal round.
• Spending last year as an assistant for Chicago State, Scott Spinelli is in his first season as a Division I head coach. The Massachusetts native has had over 25 years of experience at the Division I level, also spending one season as a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers (2000-01).
• Gabe Spinelli has led the Cougars in scoring in the young season as the guard is averaging 11.0 points per game on 40.0 percent shooting. Excluding the season opener, Spinelli has shot 6-for-12 from the floor in each of the last two games.

SERIES HISTORY:
San Francisco will face off against Chicago State for just the second time in program history on Saturday night as the Cougars picked up a 75-59 victory in the lone contest prior.

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 US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Corona - for their continued support of San Francisco 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.