Dec. 13, 2008

Final Stats

(Boise) - Junior forward Dior Lowhorn scored a game-high 20 points and freshman guard Kwame Vaughn added a career-high 18 leading USF to a thrilling 79-76 triumph against Boise State Saturday night in non-conference action at Taco Bell Arena. The Dons (7-4) hand the Broncos (6-3) its first home loss and San Francisco wins in Boise for the first time ever and snaps a three-game losing streak in the series.

Junior guard Dontae Bryant registered a career-high with 10 points with four rebounds, six assists and just one turnover in 30 minutes. Junior forward Blake Wallace added 10 points with six rebounds. Freshman guard Chris O'Brien set a career-high with nine points on three 3-pointers.

"We've played a lot of close ones at home. I'm really happy for our guys," USF head coach Rex Walters said. "We showed a great sense of urgency tonight and we made some big plays down the stretch. They inspired me and the rest of the coaching staff. It wasn't always pretty and it definitely wasn't perfect, but we got the win."

USF shot .519 (27-52) from the field, including a remarkable season-best .650 (13-20) from 3-point range. After being abused on the boards in its last contest at Pacific, the Dons won the battle of the boards 30-26 against th defending WAC Champions.

BSU chipped away at the Dons lead and took its first lead of the half 55-54 on a 3-pointer by Anthony Thomas at the 9:20 mark. The Broncos looked prepared to cruise after taking a 71-67 lead with 2:19 remaining, but the Dons weren't done. It was a wild finish, featuring 11 lead changes in the final nine minutes

After missing a pair of free throws, Bryant hit a 3-pointer from the wing, pulling USF to within one with 1:48 left in regulation. Vaughn followed with a three-point play on a slashing driving lay-up and freshman forward Angelo Caloiaro sank a bucket capping a 8-0 run, staking San Francisco to a 75-71 lead with 28 seconds remaining.

Boise State scored on its next two possessions, sandwiched between a pair of Vaughn free throws. Forced to foul, senior guard Manny Quezada calmly drained two free throws with two seconds on the clock giving the Dons the final margin of 79-76 as a Bronco desperation 3-pointer fell short at the buzzer.

San Francisco led by as many as 10 points in the first half at 40-30 despite going through a scoring drought of nearly five minutes midway through. After scoring a USF career-low seven points in a loss at Pacific the last time out, Lowhorn scored 14 before the intermission and went 3-for-3 beyond the arc.

USF shot extremely well beyond the arc in the first half, connecting on .600 (9-15) from deep. Lowhorn hit three while Vaughn and Wallace each made a pair of treys. Wallace also converted a rare 4-point play.

After taking nine days off for semester final exams, San Francisco continues its five-game December road trip at longtime Bay Area rival San Jose State Monday, December 22. Tip-off against the Spartans is set for 7:00 PM at the Event Center.