SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - In the final game of the 2024-25 regular season, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (23-8, 13-5 WCC) fought to the final buzzer, but ultimately fell to Gonzaga (23-8, 14-4 WCC), 95-75, at Chase Center on Saturday night.
San Francisco has clinched the No. 3 seed in the upcoming 2025 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championship as the Dons have secured a triple-bye into the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Tyrone Riley IV drew first blood for San Francisco as the freshman scored the first basket of the game, but the two teams exchanged field goals through the first three minutes of the ballgame, with the Dons leading 6-5 at 17:10.
- Gonzaga followed suit with seven unanswered points punctuated by a Graham Ike and-one to go up 12-6 with 15 minutes to play in the first half. Retaliating, Marcus Williams and Ryan Beasley scored back-to-back baskets to trim the lead to two, 12-10.
- The Dons kept the game within two points across the following four minutes, but a 10-2 Gonzaga burst, including five points from Khalif Battle, put the Zags up 29-19 with 8:34 remaining in the first half.
- Fighting back, San Francisco scored three consecutive buckets from Marcus Williams, Robby Beasley and Riley IV to narrow the deficit to four, 29-25, at 6:46.
- The Bulldogs quickly snuffed the Dons' run with a 17-6 burst to end the half, including a stretch of nine straight Gonzaga points by Ben Gregg, as Gonzaga took a 46-31 lead heading back to the locker room.
- Continuing to build on the advantage, Gonzaga scored five of the first eight points of the second half to increase their lead to 17 points, 51-34 with 18:36 to play.
- Gonzaga maintained the wide margin, leading 70-50 halfway through the second half. Back-to-back buckets via a Malik Thomas pull-up jumper and a Junjie Wang lay-up forced a Zags timeout with 9:31 to play, with the score at 70-54.
- Quick to fire back, the Bulldogs quickly built their lead back up to 20, 76-56 with 8:54 to play.
- Continuing to control the game, Gonzaga kept its foot on the gas for the remainder of the game, with its lead building as high as 24 points, as the Bulldogs left Chase Center with a 95-75 victory.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Saving his best for last, Williams led both teams in scoring with a season-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor and 2-2 shooting from three, while also dishing out a team-high five assists.
- Thomas finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and an assist.
- Controlling the glass, Riley IV grabbed 11 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, marking the second time in the last three games that the freshman has tallied double-figure rebounds.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
Clinching the No. 3 seed tonight, San Francisco will open its 2025 Credit Union 1 WCC Championship slate in the quarterfinals on Sunday, Mar. 9 at 8:00 p.m. PT at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Live streaming, live statistics, and ticket links can be found 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 -
San Francisco Toyota - 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.
