MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Hitting the road for the first time this season, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (1-1) made a valiant comeback effort in the second half on Saturday afternoon, but ultimately fell short against Memphis, 76-70, at FedExForum.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Opening the contest, the Dons and Tigers went back and forth in the first 11 minutes of the half, as Memphis held a narrow 15-13 lead with 9:17 to play, with Mookie Cook scoring seven of USF's first 13 points.
• Ending the half with momentum, Memphis put together a 21-9 burst in the final nine minutes, as nine Tigers scored in the opening period, sending the Dons into halftime in a 36-22 hole.
• Extending their run, the Tigers pushed their advantage to a game-high 23-point lead, leading 48-25 less than three minutes into the second half, with Aaron Bradshaw scoring five early points to open the period for Memphis.
• Battling back over the next six minutes, San Francisco cut its deficit in half with an 18-6 spurt, including five points each from Cook and David Fuchs, down 54-43 going into the under-12 media timeout. Further cutting into Memphis' lead, a gou and-one by Fuchs and a layup on the break by Veniamin Abosi trimmed USF's deficit to just six, trailing 54-48 with 10 minutes remaining in the second half.
• Retaliating quickly, the Tigers built their lead back up to double digits using a 10-3 run, with Quante Berry and Sincere Parker each scoring five points in that stretch, as the green and gold trailed 64-51 with under seven minutes to play.
• Continuing to fight, San Francisco held Memphis to just two points over the next four and a half minutes, with three-pointers by Cook and Abosi helping to shrink the Tigers' lead to just four points, 66-62, with 2:33 on the game clock.
• Defending its home court, Memphis dug deep when it mattered most as the Tigers scored 10 points in the final stretch of the contest to hand USF its first loss of the season, 76-70.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Setting a new career-high in scoring for a second consecutive game, Cook finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, grabbing seven rebounds and nabbing three steals along the way.
• Recording his first double-figure scoring performance of the season, Tyrone Riley IV scored 15 points, shooting 3-of-4 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
• Rounding out the double-digit scorers, Fuchs scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, leading the game with a +17 plus-minus in 23 minutes off the bench.
• As a team, USF enjoyed significant offensive success in the second half as the Dons shot 56.0 percent from the field (14-for-25) and 53.8 percent from deep (7-for-13). San Francisco also led Memphis in bench points, 42-37.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will return to the Hilltop and begin a three-game homestand on Wednesday night, hosting Portland State for a 7:00 p.m. contest at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on Nov. 12. Live streaming, live radio, and live statistics 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 US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Coca-Cola - 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.