Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas
San Francisco Dons (11-7) vs. Loyola Marymount Lions (12-5)
The West Coast Conference play continues Saturday, January 7, with the San Francisco Dons squaring off against the Loyola Marymount Lions at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, and the tip-off is set for 10:00 PM ET.
Loyola Marymount opens as a small 3-point fave. The totals are listed at 145.5 points, so let’s take a closer look. Last season, the Dons routed the Lions 97-73 as 9.5-point home favorites with a total of 140.5 points.
The San Francisco Dons (11-7; 8-9 ATS; 0-3 conf.) nearly upset the No. 9 Gonzaga Bulldogs this past Thursday. They suffered a 77-75 defeat as 9.5-point home underdogs, extending their losing streak to three games. Before a heartbreaking defeat to the Zags, the Dons have dropped two straight games in the conference play, losing at Santa Clara 79-67 and to San Diego 80-68.
San Francisco blew a huge opportunity to stun Gonzaga. The Dons led for most of the game and by as many as 12 points, but they scored just four points in the final 4:23 of the second half. San Francisco turned the ball over 17 times while making 45.8% of its field goals and ten of its 23 attempts from beyond the arc. Senior guard Tyrell Roberts notched 18 points and five rebounds, and fellow senior G Kh alil Shabazz had 17 points, nine boards, and a couple of assists.
Empty the clip ?? @ghost_roberts
USF 62, Gonzaga 57 | 7:56 – 2nd Half
??: @espn 2#USFDons | #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/HjiAbKdUzE
— San Francisco Men's Basketball (@USFDonsMBB) January 6, 2023
The Dons are No. 119 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 100 in the KenPom rankings. They score 105.4 points per 100 possessions (104th in the nation) and allow 99.1 points in return (114th). The Dons lean on their 3-point shooting, making 9.8 shots from deep per game (18th). Khalil Shabazz leads the way for San Francisco with 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, while Tyrell Roberts adds 14.4 points a night.