:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/29035633/20140118_ajl_bs4_442.0.jpg)
San Francisco set the tone early. Kruize Pinkins scored six of the Dons' first eight points. The other two came off a Mark Tollefsen dunk. An 8-2 lead five minutes into the game was the result.
Ron Verlin was unhappy with the effort of his starters so he took Trevin Harris, Andrew Bock, Khalil Kelley and Tony Gill out of the game. Pacific's reserves made it a game. Aaron Short hit a three at the 12:10 mark that tied things up at eleven.
Most of the starters returned after the under-12:00 media timeout. As was the case when they were in the game initially, the Dons were dominant. San Francisco went on a quick 6-0 run to reclaim the lead.
The only senior on the San Francisco roster, Cole Dickerson, had a huge first half with nine points and nine rebounds. His frontcourt mates were equally dominant, accounting for 22 of the Dons' 33 points.
Pacific had just 21 points in the half. The Tigers shot a measly 31% from the field and recorded zero assists.
Trevin Harris took over coming out of the break. He went on a 9-0 run to pull the Tigers within four points. That was followed by a quick Gabriel Aguirre 4-0 run, both buckets coming on left handed hook shots, that tied it up at 34.
In the first 20 minutes the Tigers scored 21 points. It took them less than ten minutes to score their second 21 points.
The game sped up in the middle of the second half. Aguirre connected on two free throws at the 8:25 that gave the Tigers their first lead of the game, 47-45.
Pacific and USF would exchange the lead ten times during the latter portion of the game. Trevin Harris and Gabriel Aguirre brought the Tigers back into it early in the half but it was Sama Taku who kept them in it down the stretch. Taku scored ten of his 14 points in the second half.
Ross Rivera picked up his fifth foul with 4:19 remaining. Avry Holmes hit both of the ensuing free throws and the Dons reclaimed the lead. As a team, San Francisco was awful from the free throw line, connecting on just 17 of 29 attempts. However, Glover hit eight of his ten attempts.
After Rivera's exit the Tigers would take the lead only once more, on the first possession after his departure, on a Khalil Kelly dunk.
Once the Tigers were forced to foul, the Dons suddenly became able to make their free throws.
Cole Dickerson finished his career at War Memorial Gymnasium with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds.
San Francisco is now 11-5 in conference play and tied with BYU for second place, though the Cougars have a date with Portland later this evening.
Pacific falls to 5-11, which puts them in a tie for eighth with Santa Clara.
