The San Francisco Dons hosted the Portland Pilots on Thursday night in San Francisco.
The Dons are entering the game 13-4, and 3-1 in conference play. On the other hand, the Portland Pilots sit at 5-12, and 0-4 in conference play.
Despite the fact that the Dons might have seemed like strong favorites, their two recent games, Pacific and Washington State, went worse than expected, going 1-1.
Last season, the Pilots almost upset the Dons in War Memorial Gymnasium, putting even more storylines on the game on Thursday.
Things started great for the Pilots, coming away with a quick 4-0 lead, and seemed as if they could stay with the Dons throughout the game, if they continued to play at a high level.
They kept it close going into the half, down just 37-31, and despite losing the lead, it seemed as if they could keep it close or even win it.
The second half is where things started to go great for the Dons. Although it is nothing new, the incredible guard play from Malik Thomas and Marcus Williams were such a beauty to watch.
Eventually, San Francisco was able to pull away, getting in double digits and not looking back.
The final score was 81-72, Dons.
Malik Thomas led the way with 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Marcus Williams added 17 as well, putting up 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks too.
Barry Wang and Carlton Lingaurd Jr. each had 14, helping the Dons cruise to their victory.
USF played a great game, and proved why they are one of the top teams in the conference. Their guard play, along with great depth at all positions prove why they are such a good basketball team. Even when crucial pieces such as Ryan Beasley and Ndwedo Newbury were out due to injury, they made it work, and were still able to come out with a big victory.
The Pilots have had a tough schedule to open up WCC play, facing most of the top teams in the conference to start things off. If they want to have a successful season, it is very important that they take advantage of games that they are able to compete in. If so, the Pilots can still have a good season.