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Trip to Southland Begins Thursday at Pepperdine

Trip to Southland Begins Thursday at Pepperdine
Mark Tollefsen's 55.6 shooting percentage ranks sixth in the WCC.
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Game #29
USF Dons (18-10, 11-5 WCC) vs. Pepperdine Waves (15-13, 8-8 WCC)
Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 • 7:00 p.m. PT
Firestone Fieldhouse • Malibu, Calif.
Series Record: USF leads, 71-50
Last Meeting: USF 76-66 (Jan. 4, 2014 in San Francisco)
Audio Stream: USFDons.com (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: TheW.tv (Justin Alderson, Play-by-Play; Kris Johnson, Analyst)

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

The Dandy Dons
  • Bring an overall record of 18-10 and an 11-5 conference mark into Thursday night's game at Pepperdine...have won three straight after home wins over Saint Mary's (73-62) and Pacific (64-59) last week.
  • Three-game winning streak matches a season-high (third time).
  • Enter Thursday's game alone in third place in the WCC standings one half game behind second place BYU (20-10, 12-5 WCC) and two games behind first place Gonzaga (23-6, 13-3).
  • USF's 18 wins are the third-highest single-season total under head coach Rex Walters (20-14 in 2011-12; 19-15 in 2010-11)...the Dons' 11 conference wins are the most since the 1981-82 season (11-3)...the last time a USF team won more than 11 conference games was in 1978-79 (12-2).
  • Close out the regular season this week with road games at Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount...are 5-5 on the road this season, including a 4-3 mark against WCC foes...are 8-3 in last 11 WCC road games.
  • Posted wins over Pepperdine (76-66) and LMU (75-61) earlier this season in San Francisco...have won four straight and six of last seven vs. Pepperdine and are 13-6 in last 19 meetings with LMU.
  • USF is 21-12 (.636) over the past four seasons in the month of February...went 5-2 in February last season.
  • USF is 95-92 in six seasons under head coach Rex Walters...Dons are 72-55 (.567) under Walters since the start of the 2010-11 season.
  • Averaging 75.6 points a game to rank as the WCC's fourth-highest scoring team...have scored 80+ points three times in conference action, including two overtime victories.
  • Rank second in the WCC and 26th nationally in field goal percentage at 47.8 percent...have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 13 games this season.
  • Have made just 46-of-148 (31.0) three-pointers over the last seven games and are now shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc for the season - seventh best in the WCC.
  • Are 72-for-120 (60.0) from the line over its last four games...rank 10th in the WCC in free throw percentage at 64.9.
  • Have held its last five opponents to under 70 points (319 total; 63.8)...rank seventh in the WCC in defense (72.6) and field goal defense (44.6) and sixth three-point defense (36.5).
  • Are 14-4 on the season when outrebounding the opponent...rank fourth in WCC rebounding at 35.1.
  • Balanced scoring column sees the top six scorers averaging between 14.4 and 8.2 points per game...seven different players have taken team high-scoring honors this season.
  • Senior Cole Dickerson registered his seventh double-double of the season and 21st of his career Saturday vs. Pacific (14-13)...he is one of 13 players in USF history to score 1,000 points (1,159) and grab 700 rebounds (704)...Dickerson ranks 13th on USF's all-time rebounding list and 22nd on the school's all-time scoring list.
  • WCC Championships get underway next Thursday at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

TIP-OFF: USF (18-10, 11-5 WCC) travels to the Southland for its final two regular season games against Pepperdine (15-13, 7-9 WCC) on Thursday and Loyola Marymount (11-17, 3-13 WCC) on Saturday. The Dons extended their winning streak to a season-high three games with a pair of home wins last week over Saint Mary's (73-62) and Pacific (64-59). Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount were in action just once - against each other - with the Waves prevailing, 72-69 Thursday night in Los Angeles.

SERIES HISTORY: In a series that dates back to the 1955-56 season, USF leads the all-time series with Pepperdine, 71-50. The Dons have won four straight and six out of the last seven games in the series, including a 76-66 decision on Jan. 4 in San Francisco (see below). The two schools have met seven times in the WCC Championship tournament, with the Pepperdine holding a 6-1 advantage.

FIRST MEETING WITH PEPPERDINE: A strong second-half showing lifted USF to a 76-66 win over Pepperdine on Jan. 4 in Memorial Gymnasium. Four Dons scored in double-figures, led by Kruize Pinkins' 19 points and 11 rebounds. After trailing 27-19 at intermission, USF shot 51.3 percent from the floor and scored 57 second half points to post its second consecutive victory. Mark Tollefsen added 16 points while Tim Derksen finished with 14.

LAST TIME OUT: USF won its third straight game with a 64-59 victory over Pacific last Saturday in Memorial Gymnasium. Avry Holmes scored a team-high 15 points while Cole Dickerson posted his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Mark Tollefsen added 11. The Dons built a 33-21 lead at intermission only to see the Tigers tie the game at 34-34 with a 13-1 run to start the second half. It was a one possession game for the remainder of the contest until Tollefsen knocked down two free throws with :09 left to account for the final score of 64-59. The Dons limited the Tigers to 40.7 shooting from the floor in holding its fifth straight opponent under the 70 point mark.

THE RECORD: At 18-10 overall, USF has surpassed its win total from a year ago when the team finished 15-16 overall. The 18 wins are the third-highest total by a USF team under head coach Rex Walters (20-14 in 2011-12; 19-15 in 2010-11). The Dons' 11 conference wins are the most by a USF team since the 1981-82 campaign (11-3). The last time a USF team won more than 11 conference games was in 1978-79, when the Dons went 12-2 league play en route to their third straight WCAC title. USF's 18 wins are fourth most in the conference behind Gonzaga (23-6), BYU (20-10) and Saint Mary's (20-9). The Dons own season sweeps over Portland, San Diego, Santa Clara and Pacific.

USF BASKETBALL UNDER WALTERS: USF is 95-92 in six seasons under head coach Rex Walters, including 46-45 in WCC play. After going 23-37 over his first two seasons, Walters has guided the Dons to a 72-55 (.567) record over the last four seasons. Walters guided the Dons to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2010-11 (College Insider.com) and 2011-12 (College Basketball Invitational).

FABULOUS IN FEBRUARY: In the last four seasons dating back to the 2009-10 campaign, USF has posted a 21-12 (.636) record in the month of February, including a 5-2 mark last season.

HOME AND ROAD: USF finished its regular season home schedule with a 13-5 record, including 6-2 in WCC play with losses to Gonzaga and BYU. The Dons were just 8-7 on its home floor last season, including 2-6 against WCC foes. USF is 5-5 in 10 road games this season, including a 4-3 mark against WCC teams. The Dons are 8-3 in their last 11 WCC road games dating back to last season.

OFFENSIVELY: The Dons are averaging 75.6 points per game this season, which ranks fourth in the WCC. However, USF is averaging 68.0 points per game (408 total) in its last six contests since scoring 84 points vs. Portland on Jan. 29. The Dons opened the season by scoring 90+ points in its first four games - a first in school history, but have scored 80 or more points just three time in its last 23 games - twice against Portland (87 and 84) and vs. Pacific (81).

BALANCED SCORING: USF has four players on its current roster averaging in double figures after 28 games, with senior Cole Dickerson topping the team's scoring chart with a 14.4 point per game average. The top six scorers on the current roster are averaging between 14.4 and 8.2 ppg. Seven different players have taken game-high scoring honors at some point this season. The Dons have had four players score in double figures in the same game 15 times this season.

FROM THE FLOOR: The Dons shot 48.9 percent from the floor in wins over Saint Mary's and Pacific last week. The Dons have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 13 games this season and currently rank second in the WCC and 26th nationally in field goal percentage at 47.8 percent. Mark Tollefsen (55.6) ranks sixth among all WCC players in field goal percentage.

FROM BEYOND THE ARC: USF was 10-for-31 from three-point range last week vs. Saint Mary's (7-for-14) and Pacific (3-for-17) is just 27-of-89 (30.3) from long distance in in its last five games, dropping the season percentage down to its present mark of .365, which ranks seventh in the WCC. Avry Holmes ranks eighth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage at 41.9. USF led the West Coast Conference and ranked fifth nationally in three-point field goal percentage a year ago, connecting on 40.1 percent (249-for-621) of its long distance attempts. The Dons have set single-season school records for three-pointers made each of the last three seasons.

ON THE LINE: USF is shooting just 64.9 percent from the line this season, which ranks last in the WCC and 310 out of 345 Division I teams. If the season ended today, USF's current free throw percentage would be the lowest mark since the 1985-86 team shot 62.4 percent (328-for-426) from the line.  Avry Holmes ranks eighth in the WCC with a 84.6 free throw percentage.

BOARD WORK: USF was outrebounded in both games last week vs. Saint Mary's (41-32) and Pacific (34-31). The Dons rank fourth among WCC teams in rebound average at 35.1 while opponents are averaging 32.9 boards a game, the fifth-lowest average in the conference. However, the Dons are averaging 35.6 rebounds a game in WCC games, the second-best mark in the conference. USF is 14-4 this season when outrebounding the opponent and 4-6 in all other games. Four players - Cole Dickerson (7.5), Kruize Pinkins (6.4), Matt Glover (5.7) and Mark Tollefsen (4.1) - are averaging at least 4.0 rebounds per game.

SECOND CHANCES: USF is averaging 11.3 offensive rebounds a game, fourth-best in the WCC. Kruize Pinkins ranks second in the conference in offensive rebounds with a 3.3 per game mark

DEFENSIVELY: The Dons have held its last five opponents under 70 points, including BYU, the WCC's highest-scoring team, which managed just 68 points on their homecourt in Provo. USF's last five opponents have averaged just 63.8 points per game (319 total). The Dons held Pacific to just 59 points, the third-lowest total of the season (48 vs. Nicholls State; 57 vs. Notre Dame de Namur). USF is yielding 73.1 points a game, which ranks seventh in the WCC. The Dons rank seventh in the conference in field goal defense (44.6), sixth in three-point defense (36.0) and ninth in blocks per game (2.6). USF's 5.6 steals per game average rank eighth in the conference.

CLAMPING DOWN IN CONFERENCE: USF is allowing just 69.6 point per game in conference action, which is the fourth-best mark in the league. The Dons are also limiting conference foes to 42.3 shooting from the floor, which is the second-lowest mark in the WCC.

DONS IN OVERTIME: USF is 2-1 in overtime games this season, losing to Idaho State 93-90 while defeating Portland 87-81 and Pacific 81-72. USF is 11-4 in overtime games under head coach Rex Walters.

DICKERSON SURPASSES 700 REBOUNDS: With 13 rebounds in Saturday's win over Pacific, Cole Dickerson ran his career rebounding total to 704, good for 13th place on USF's all-time career list. He needs 13 more to tie Erwin Mueller (1963-65) for 12th on the all-time list. Here's a look at where Dickerson stands on USF's all-time career rebounding chart...

9. James Hardy (1976-78) 772
Eric Fernsten (1972-75) 772
11. Joe Ellis (1963-66) 737
12. Erwin Mueller (1963-66) 717
13. Cole Dickerson (2010-14) 704

DICKERSON ON USF's ALL-TIME SCORING LIST: With 1,159 career points, Cole Dickerson ranks 22nd on USF's all-time career scoring list and needs and 11 more points to tie Joel DeBortoli (1987-90) for 21st. Here's a look at where Dickerson stands on USF's all-time scoring list...

17. Angelo Caloiaro (2008-12) 1271
18. Dennis Black (1966-68) 1269
19. Ali Thomas (1997-01) 1237
20. John Duggan (1993-97) 1175
21. Joel DeBortoli (1987-90) 1170
22. Cole Dickerson (2010-14) 1159

GOOD COMPANY: With 1,159 career points and 704 career rebounds, Cole Dickerson is one of 13 players in USF history to score a 1,000 points and grab 700 rebounds.

DICKERSON'S DOUBLES: Senior forward Cole Dickerson posted his seventh double-double of the season and 21st of his career Saturday vs. Pacific, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Dickerson finished with conference-high 13 double-doubles (points-rebounds) last season, a figure that ranked 24th nationally among Division I players. He was also a point or rebound away from a double-double in five other games. Dickerson pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 14 games, including a career-high 20 boards against Montana on Nov. 30.
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