USF Continues Homestand Against Portland State On Saturday - University of San Francisco Athletics

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Men's Basketball continues its season-opening five-game homestand against Portland State on Saturday at 4 p.m. from War Memorial Gym at Sobrato Center. The Dons have won their first three games of the season after coming back to beat Montana, 63-58 on Monday.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Barry Tompkins and Dan Belloumini on the call, with Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli on the radio call on KNBR.

Tip-Ins
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San Francisco and Santa Clara are the last two remaining unbeaten times in the West Coast Conference.

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After holding Montana to 58 points on Monday, the Dons rank second in the WCC in scoring defense (63.3 ppg).

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Four Dons are averaging 10.0 ppg or better, led by Ben Oosterbaan's 16.0 ppg.

USF Men's Basketball Game Notes

TOUGH WIN OVER MONTANA GIVES DONS THIRD STRAIGHT WIN:
After leading for the first 80 minutes of the 2026-27 season, San Francisco trailed for all but 6:53 against Montana on Monday, but the Dons fought back and beat the Grizzlies, 63-58. The Dons played well defensively, holding Montana to shoot 18-for-50 (36.0) from the field, and also forced 17 turnovers.

FOURTH ALL-TIME MEETING VS. PORTLAND STATE:
Saturday's game against Portland State will be the fourth meeting in program history between the Dons and the Vikings. USF is 2-1 all-time against Portland State, and won the last meeting, 80-70 on Nov. 12, 2025 at War Memorial Gym. All of the previous meetings have taken place at USF.

OOSTERBAAN RALLIES DONS TO VICTORY:
Ben Oosterbaan played a huge role in the Dons' victory over Montana last Monday. The transfer from St. Thomas recorded his first double-double at USF, scoring 16 points with 10 rebounds. When USF trailed 48-43, he got fouled on a layup. While he missed the ensuing free throw, Oosterbaan grabbed the rebound and laid it in to make it a four-point sequence. Later, he was in the perfect place to grab an offensive rebound and put it back in to give the Dons the lead for the first time since early in the first half. Oosterbaan ranks ninth in the WCC in scoring (16.0 ppg) and 11th in rebounding (7.0 rpg).

NEWBURY FILLS IN STARTING LINEUP:
With Ismaila Diagne missing Monday's game against Montana due to illness, Ndewedo Newbury filled in his spot in the starting lineup and contributed in a big way in the victory over the Grizzlies. He scored 13 points with six rebounds, a steal and a block in 23 minutes of work. Newbury's big moment against the Grizzlies came with about 90 seconds left in regulation when his cross under layup went in and he got fouled. The conversion of the and-1 put USF up, 59-56 with 1:24 left in the game. Newbury is averaging 8.0 ppg, shooting .500 from the field in 17.3 minutes per game as he makes his way back after missing all of last season due to injury, going back to Dec. 2024.

DEFENSE AIDES DONS IN WIN:
With the USF offense struggling against Montana, the Dons' defense stepped up, limiting Montana to shoot 36 percent from the field, 25 percent from three-point distance and USF forced 17 turnovers by the Grizzlies. After holding Montana to 58 points, the Dons rank second in the WCC in scoring defense (63.0 ppg). The 58 points allowed by Montana on Monday were also the sixth fewest points allowed in a game in the West Coast Conference this season.

YOAV REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS:
Yoav Vitlem posted 12 points in the win over Montana, giving the Dons four double-digit point scorers. In the first two games of the season, all of Vitlem's points came from the free throw line. Against the Grizzlies, he shot 4-for-9 from the field, and also converted on three of his five free throw attempts. The guard came up with some key layups during USF's second-half comeback.

FIVE-GAME HOMESTAND TO START:
USF will play in the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym for the first five games of the season. Following Saturday's matchup against Portland State, the Dons will Louisiana next Wednesday for the final game of the season-opening homestand before hitting the road for the 2026 Acrisure Series in Palm Desert, Calif. The Dons will only play two true road games during non-conference play - at Fresno State on Dec. 12 and at Texas State on Dec. 16.

EXPANDED COVERAGE ON KNBR:
USF Athletics recently announced a new agreement with KNBR, The Sports Leader, the San Francisco Bay Area's leading sports talk radio station and home for all USF men's basketball games, increasing coverage throughout men's and women's basketball season with an expansion highlighted by the Hilltop Hoops Hour show airing live on KNBR's YouTube channel on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on KNBR 680 AM. Thirteen of the 17 episodes will air live on YouTube.

THIRD IN WEST COAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL:
USF was tabbed third in the annual West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason poll. The Dons earned 58 points for third place, marking the second straight year, and four times in the last five years, that USF was tabbed third in the conference preseason poll.

CHIPS ON THE WCC PRESEASON TEAM:
Ndewedo Newbury was recognized as an honoree on the West Coast Conference's 10-member preseason team on Oct. 15. Newbury returns after missing all of last season due to injury. In 2024-25, before suffering a season-ending injury in December, Newbury started 11 games, averaging 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 24.1 minutes played per game. Newbury's recognition gives the Dons a player on the conference preseason team for three consecutive years.

PARTNERING WITH PAC-12:
USF recently announced a partnership with Pac-12 Enterprises to produce all ESPN+ home broadcasts for the Dons' men's and women's basketball teams throughout the 2026-27 season. This collaboration marks a significant upgrade for USF basketball broadcasts, bringing industry-leading, high-caliber production quality to Dons fans unable to catch the action live at War Memorial Gym at Sobrato Center. By leveraging the advanced production capabilities and cutting-edge technology of Pac-12 Enterprises, USF will deliver a premium viewing experience to Dons fans.

DONS ON NATIONAL TV:
USF will appear on national television seven times during conference play as part of the West Coast Conference national television conference matchup schedule. Both meetings against Santa Clara and Saint Mary's will appear on the ESPN platform, while the Jan. 19 home game against LMU and both games against Pacific will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. In addition, the Dons will also appear on CBS Sports Network for neutral site games against Oregon State, George Washington and Tulsa. The game against Fresno State will be broadcast on the USA Network.

NEUTRAL SITE TESTS:
For the second straight season, San Francisco will return to Palm Desert for the Acrisure Classic during the week of Thanksgiving at Acrisure Arena. USF is scheduled to first play Nevada on Monday, Nov. 23 before meeting former two-year affiliate WCC rival Oregon State the next day on Tuesday, Nov. 24. In December, the Dons head to Texas for the Texas Legends Coaching Classic in Frisco, Texas from the Comerica Center. USF will play George Washington on Saturday, Dec. 19 and Tulsa on Monday, Dec. 21. Both games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP NEW TOURNAMENT FORMAT:
With the West Coast Conference currently standing at 10 teams in the league, March's Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship will feature a new format when the tournament returns to Orleans Arena in Las Vegas from March 5-9. The reformatted 10-team, nine-game, four-round tournament will feature two first-round games on March 5 before the men's quarterfinals start on Sunday, March 7, with the semifinals slated for March 8 and the title game on March 9.

UP NEXT:
USF remains on the Hilltop for the next three games. Next up, the Dons will face Louisiana on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Players Mentioned

Ismaila Diagne

Ndewedo Newbury

Ben Oosterbaan

Yoav Vitlem

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