San Francisco, CA

Hickman scores 20 points and No. 17 Gonzaga beats San Francisco 89-77 in WCC semifinal

Published

8 months ago

March 12, 2024

Hickman scores 20 points and No. 17 Gonzaga beats San Francisco 89-77 in WCC semifinal

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nolan Hickman scored 20 points and No. 17 Gonzaga pulled away in the second half to beat San Francisco 89-77 on Monday night and extend its streak to 27 years of making the West Coast Conference Tournament title game.

The Bulldogs will play No. 21 Saint Mary’s on Tuesday night for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, though the loser will make the 68-team field as an at-large team.

All five Gonzaga starters scored in double figures. Ben Gregg and Anton Watson each scored 17 points, and Ryan Nembhard had 16.

Gregg was especially hot in the second half. After scoring three points in the first half and missing all three 3-pointers, he made all four from long range after halftime and scored 14 points.

His teammates “gave me all the confidence in the world to keep on shooting it,” Gregg said. “So I let it fly and finally made a couple and it was a good feeling.”

Malik Thomas led USF (23-10) with 22 points, and Marcus Williams scored 17.

“This is not what we signed up for,” Dons coach Chris Gerlufsen said of the loss. “I’m super proud of my team, though, the things they’ve done for our program this year. They’re not even cognizant of that, which is fine. By myself and our staff, just incredibly grateful to be their coach.”

Gonzaga will make its 30th appearance in the conference championship game and go for its 22nd title, fifth in a row and 11th in 12 years. Only Saint Mary’s in 2019 interrupted the run.

The Zags (25-6) also extended their national record of consecutive 25-win seasons to 17.

They have won nine straight games this season and 14 of 15, quieting the early talk of what was wrong with a program that has advanced to at least the Sweet 16 of every NCAA Tournament since 2015.

Coach Mark Few said a number of factors led to the early start in which Gonzaga lost three games in December — a tough Maui Invitational field, incorporating a mix of new players into the lineup and learning to play without Drew Timme, last season’s WCC player of the year.

“I think what was a little bit underrated was how much change,” Few said. “We lost an icon of a player in Drew Timme in more ways than one. Just the swag he had carried us through a lot of moments, so we had to figure out ways not only offensively, but defensively.”

The numbers back up that the Bulldogs remain a dangerous team. Gonzaga entered this game leading the WCC in field-goal percentage, scoring margin, scoring, blocked shots and assists. The Bulldogs were in the top six nationally in three of those categories.

The Dons, however, put up a fight early. They took a 35-27 lead late in the first half before Gonzaga roared back with an 11-point run. Jonathan Mogbo’s bucket at the buzzer brought USF within a point at halftime.

Gregg’s 3-point shooting helped Gonzaga separate itself in the second half. The Bulldogs’ 12-2 run put them up 63-47 with 13:35 remaining, and there was little mystery in the outcome after that.

Gonzaga has taken the drama out of this series in general, having beaten the Dons 30 consecutive times, including three times this season.

BIG PICTURE

USF: Gerlufsen said he played the percentages by focusing his defense on Gonzaga big man Graham Ike. The strategy worked to a degree. Ike entered the game averaging 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds, but was held to 10 and four. The problem for the Dons is Gonzaga’s shooters stepped up to make 11 of 20 3-pointers, the Bulldogs’ third-highest total this season.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs are a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, but a victory over Saint Mary’s can buttress their hard for a higher position. Gonzaga has a good case. The NCAA’s NET rankings places the Zags at No. 16, and they’re 15th in Kenpom.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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San Francisco, CA

Big-rig crash snarls Bay Bridge traffic for hours

Published

5 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Big-rig crash snarls Bay Bridge traffic for hours

A jackknifed semi-truck blocked four lanes of eastbound Interstate 80 on the Bay Bridge Thursday, causing major delays during the rainy morning commute.

California Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a solo truck collision at 5:12 a.m. just east of the First Street onramp, according to CHP logs. Officers arrived to learn the driver, who sustained head injuries and was seen limping, had lost control of the vehicle. The driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and was in stable condition, the San Francisco Fire Department said in a statement.

The truck suffered major front-end damage but remained upright. Authorities warned it would take hours to clear the wreckage and encouraged drivers to use other routes.

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San Francisco, CA

Atmospheric river forces flight delays, cancelations at SFO

Published

13 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Atmospheric river forces flight delays, cancelations at SFO

As an atmospheric river makes its way into the Bay Area, flights at San Francisco International Airport have been drastically impacted.

According to Flight Aware, the airport saw more than 430 delays on Wednesday and more than 60 cancellations. With the storm not projected to clear up for a few days, aviation experts said it will impact those beginning their travel for Thanksgiving week.

“If we can’t get out of this weather, which it doesn’t look like we’re going to until sometime next week, all these people could be delayed and probably will be delayed to their destination,” said Mike McCaron, an aviation expert.

Donnie Pascal, who was flying to Florida, and their family had their flight delayed by two hours.

“I got snacks. I got my phone,” Pascal said.

Some passengers went to SFO to find out their flights were canceled.

As the storm progresses, more flights can be impacted, as the FAA continually reviews the number of planes the airport can accept per hour. Then, airlines have to respond accordingly.

McCaron said he recommends that travelers stay in touch with their carrier and check their flight status via an application.

According to the National Weather Service, several inches of rain have already fallen in the North Bay and are expected to spread further south in the region.

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San Francisco, CA

This $300,000 San Francisco home is a hot sale — but here's the catch

Published

21 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

This 0,000 San Francisco home is a hot sale — but here's the catch

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — How would you like to buy a house in San Francisco for $300,000?

There’s one out there, but it is going to need some work.

It’s on Lowell Street near Morse Street in the Crocker-Amazon neighborhood, and it is definitely a fixer-upper. There is no bathroom, kitchen, running water or electricity–and it has heavy fire damage.

But, there’s a good selling point for the property.

MORE: CA housing affordability crisis has been decades in the making — what got us here?

“The lot itself is about almost 2,600 square feet. It’s pretty narrow but goes back a ways. So, as it is, the house has a very large backyard. But if you were to knock down the house but could build something within in that whole parcel, you could have a sizeable single family home, or potentially a multi-unit building, according to the listing agent,” said Garrett Leahy with the San Francisco Standard, who covered the story.

One thing that could add to any obstacle: if someone wants to knock it down and start over, they’ll need to get a demolition permit and new plans approved.

Tuesday was the deadline to make an offer.

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