SPOKANE, Wash. - The University of San Francisco (USF) men's basketball team (13-9, 5-4 WCC) engineered another second half surge on Saturday evening, but the Dons ultimately fell to No. 8/8 Gonzaga (21-1, 9-0 WCC), 68-66, at McCarthey Athletic Center.

USF had three players score in double figures, led by Legend Smiley, who had 18 points on 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Ryan Beasley added 14 points and six assists, while Vukasin Masic helped out with 11 points and two steals off the bench.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• San Francisco struggled out of the gate, not recording its first basket until a three-pointer from Tyrone Riley IV at 12:40. Trailing but still hanging out, USF went into the locker room down 36-25.
• Coming out of halftime, the Dons remained on the heels of the Bulldogs as they continued to chip away with each possession. Down the stretch, San Francisco narrowed its deficit to eight points, 68-60, before going on a 6-0 run to shrink the Gonzaga lead to just two points, 68-66 with 1:02 to go in the contest. The Bulldogs did not answer with a strong sequence, turning the ball over with 32 seconds left in regulation, giving USF a chance to tie or win the game. After consulting its options in the timeout, USF elected to go for the win as Junjie Wang launched a triple for a chance to lift the Dons to victory, but San Francisco ultimately fell just short as Gonzaga held on for the two-point victory.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Smiley tied his career-high with 18 points, while also setting a new career-high with five made three-pointers. He also shot a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line as the Seattle native is 25-of-28 (89.3 percent) from the free throw line so far in his freshman season.
• Beasley finished in double figures for the ninth straight game and 15th time overall this year. His four made threes also tied a season-high.
• Masic was active on the defensive end, forcing a new season-high two steals against the Bulldogs.
• San Francisco made half of its attempts from three-point range, knocking down 14 of 28 shots, a new season-high for three-pointers as a team.
• The Dons played stingy perimeter defense, holding Gonzaga to 16.7 percent from deep on 18 attempts (3-18).
• San Francisco dropped the contest despite a 41-37 rebounding advantage. The Dons got a game-high 10 rebounds from Riley IV.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

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

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will return to the Bay Area but remain on the road for its next contest as the Dons are set for a late-night matchup at Santa Clara this upcoming Wednesday, Jan. 28. Tipoff from Leavey Center is scheduled for 8:00 pm PT, with the game airing live on CBS Sports Network and KNBR 1050. Streaming, radio, and live statistics links are available via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the University of 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 - Evergood Foods - 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.

*This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive*