San Francisco, CA – The game between the Cal Poly Mustangs and the home standing San Francisco Dons was a sloppy contest. There were 41 turnovers between the Dons and Mustangs and poor shooting, 34 and 37 percent from the field respectively. USF came on in the second half with a 60-48 win led by 18 points and seven assists from point guard Khalil Shabazz.
Regardless, both teams showed their competitive spirit despite shooting inefficiently. At 8:42, the score was USF 10 – Cal Poly 11. It was clear the contest was going to be decided by who made the least mistakes.
At the end of the first half, Cal Poly led 27-24 and it seemed that both teams had found some scoring. The Mustangs’ Alimamy Koroma took advantage of mismatches in the paint and scored almost at will. Koroma ended the game with a team-high 15 points. 
In the second half, USF came out with a good start, took a two-point lead at 17:26 and never looked back. USF made some key defensive adjustments and held Koroma to only seven points in the second half. At 8:18, the Mustangs’ Camren Pierce hit a three to cut the USF lead to three points at 40-37.
From there, USF scored three times in a row after Shabazz hit a 3, Josh Kunen scored in the paint and Toni Rocak hit a mid-range jumper. That was the ball game as Cal Poly lost their composure a bit. Brantly Stevenson stepped out nullifying a three and Chance Hunter got called for a flagrant-1 technical foul while the Dons were in the bonus. This resulted in USF’s Rocak making three of four free throws and retaining the ball. The game was essentially over at that point.
After the game, USF head coach Chris Gerlufsen said, “The hallmark of a good team is the ability to win ugly games like this one. I’m proud of our guys for digging deep and finding a way to win“. USF will next take the court on Sunday afternoon as they face Cal Merced at home.
This article was written by Damon Burris, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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