Dec. 31, 2007

Final Stats

(Orem, UT) - USF dropped a 73-61 non-conference decision to Utah Valley State on a chilly Monday night at the McKay Event Center. The Dons (4-10) shot well in the first half but could not sustain it as the Wolverines (6-9) won the rematch after dropping a 69-64 contest at War Memorial Gym November 28.

Sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn scored a team-high 19 points with eight rebounds in a career-high 40 minutes. Freshman guard Myron Strong shook off a scoring slump with 18 points, while junior guard Manny Quezada added 12. Sophomore center Hyman Taylor enjoyed his best performance in the Green and Gold with two points, a career-high 12 rebounds and a blocked shot in 31 minutes - his longest outing of the year.

After shooting nearly .600 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, the Dons cooled in the second managing a .442 (19-43) clip for the game. Utah Valley connected on .455 (25-55) in the contest, including a remarkable .481 (13-27) from beyond the arc. The Dons won the battle of the boards 40-22 and 20-10 on the offensive glass, but it could not offset 21 USF turnovers.

"We've got a lot of work to do in the upcoming weeks," said USF interim head coach Eddie Sutton, who remains at 798 career Division I victories. "There are so many things we need to do. As long as the guys listen and work hard, we'll get better. These are good kids. I've really enjoyed myself teaching these guys."

San Francisco annihilated Utah Valley State on the glass in the first half, 20-7 as Taylor led the way with seven boards, while Cavic added five, three on the offensive side. The Dons had all kinds of trouble holding onto the basketball in the opening 20 minutes, committing 11 turnovers leading to 14 Wolverine points.

USF shot at a remarkable .583 (14-24) clip in the first half, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Utah Valley kept pace at .517 (15-29) but connected on 8-of-16 attempts from long distance, taking a 40-33 lead into halftime. Lowhorn and Strong led the way for the Dons with first half nine points.

San Francisco went ice cold from the field in the second half as the Wolverines used a 17-6 burst to seize control. The Dons only made two field goals in the first 16 minutes after recess and finished at 5-for-19 (.263) in the second period.

Junior guard Ryan Toolson, a cousin of BYU legend Danny Ainge, poured in a game-high 31 points, converting on 10-of-17 from the floor, 7-of-12 from long distance to go along with three assists in 36 minutes for the Wolverines. Junior guard Josh Olsen chipped in 12 points and dished out six assists for UV.

San Francisco returns home for its final non-conference game of the season Saturday, January 5 when it welcomes Holy Cross to the Hilltop. Tip-off against the Crusaders is set for 2:00 PM at War Memorial Gym in the San Francisco debut of interim head coach Eddie Sutton.