Box Score MALIBU, Calif. - Wrapping up a two-game road trip to Southern California, the University of San Francisco (USF) men's basketball team (12-7, 4-2 WCC) got back in the win column on Saturday evening, routing Pepperdine (5-14, 0-6 WCC), 80-60, in a bounce back effort at Firestone Fieldhouse.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Wasting no time, USF jumped to an early 6-0 advantage two minutes into the game, with baskets from David Fuchs, Tyrone Riley IV, and Junjie Wang.
- Pepperdine quickly answered back to tie the contest at 9-apiece with 13 minutes to play in the half, with four points coming from Styles Phipps, but San Francisco countered with an 18-5 run over the next eight minutes to take a 27-14 lead with 5:08 on the clock. The Dons hit three shots from deep in that run, including back-to-back three-pointers from Wang.
- Baskets from Phipps and Aaron Clark kept the Waves within reach, but the green and gold went back to the locker room with a 32-21 lead at halftime.
- Extending its lead right out of the break, USF opened the second half with a 10-0 run with two layups by Fuchs and three-pointers from Riley IV and Vukasin Masic, ballooning the lead to 42-21 with 17:43 on the clock.
- Staying in it, Pepperdine responded with a 14-7 spurt over the next five-plus minutes, including two buckets from Danilo Dozic, to whittle down the USF lead to 14, but the Dons responded with a 9-2 run of their own, with all nine points coming from Fuchs and Riley IV, as the green and gold regained a 21-point advantage, 58-37, with 10 minutes left to play.
- Remaining on fire, Wang hit three more shots from deep over the next five minutes to notch a new career-high in scoring, extending the gap for the Dons, 71-48, with 4:46 remaining.
- Maintaining control of the game, Wang hit yet another three to close out the night as San Francisco cruised to an 80-60 victory at Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Shining in his first start since Dec. 3, Wang scored 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from distance in 34 minutes of play, all career-highs for the junior. His seven triples tonight marked the most three-pointers by a Don since Khalil Shabazz's seven threes (7-of-12) in a WCC Championship quarterfinal double-overtime classic against Santa Clara on Mar. 4, 2023.
- Scoring in double-digits for the fourth time in the last five games, Riley IV logged his first double-double of conference play, scoring 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and grabbing a season-high 11 rebounds in 37 minutes tonight.
- Adding another double-double to his resume, Fuchs finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting, good for his third double-double of WCC play and fourth of the season overall.
- The double-doubles by Riley IV and Fuchs tonight mark the first time that two Dons recorded a double-double in the same game since Jonathan Mogbo (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Marcus Williams (19 points, 10 assists) achieved the feat two seasons ago on Feb. 1, 2024 vs. San Diego.
- As a team, San Francisco tied season-highs with 13 made three-pointers and 49 rebounds, improving to 5-0 on the season when making 11-or-more threes, and 9-1 on the season when grabbing at least 40 rebounds.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco will have two days off to recuperate before hosting Saint Mary's in a Tuesday night, national TV matchup at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The Dons and Gaels will tip off on the Hilltop at 8:00 p.m., with the game airing live on ESPN2 and KNBR 1050, and streaming live on the ESPN app. 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.
SPONSOR US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor -
Corona - for their continued support of University 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.
