Tale of the Tape
|
USF
71.8
.408
39.5
11.1
7.1
2.8
|
vs.
Points/Game
Field Goal Pct.
Rebounds/Game
Assists/Game
Steals/Game
Blocks/Game |
LMU
71.8
.396
40.2
14.7
7.9
3.4
|
Just the Facts, Ma'am
University of San Francisco women's basketball seeks its second season with an opening win at the WCC Championships as the Dons face Loyola Marymount for the third time in 2014. A competitive matchup, USF's two victories over Loyola Marymount have been separated by a combined five points.
What 2 Watch 4
USF heads into Thursday's contest with three players producing at least 10 points per game. Taylor Proctor's 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game paces the Dons with Zhané Dikes (12.1 ppg), and Taj Winston (11.0 ppg) adding to the USF offense. USF is seeking its first three-game season sweep - including a WCC Championship contest - of Loyola Marymount since 1995-96.
Know the Foe - Loyola Marymount
The Lions' floor general, senior Hazel Ramirez, leads the team with 15.1 points and 6.3 assists per game. Deanna Johnson adds 14.1 points per contest and Mackenzie Kerins' 9.5 rebounds a night paces Loyola Marymount. The Lions enter the conference tournament off a loss to USF on Senior Day and the team has dropped four of its last five, and six of its last eight games.
Dons & Lions - The First Time
In the first meeting of the season between USF and Loyola Marymount, the Dons were helped by a 19-point outing for L.A.-area native, Taj Winston. The Long Beach native was helped by three more double-digit scoring efforts in USF's come-from-behind victory. The Dons trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half before USF overtook the Lions to earn their first conference win of the season in the first contest of the New Year.
USF & Loyola Marymount - And Again
The Dons and Lions took the one-point game to the wire, with Loyola Marymount leading the majority of the contest. USF nabbed the lead for good on a 3-pointer from Alexa Hardick with less than two minutes remaining, but the Lions rallied back to tie it up with 50.7 seconds to play. A putback and layup by Taj Winston with 3.4 seconds to play proved to be the game-winner. Proctor finished with team-highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds and four Dons reached double-digit scoring.
On the Horizon
Should No. 8-seeded USF earn a victory Thursday, the Dons will move on to meet top-seeded Gonzaga Friday at 6 p.m. The Dons will look to replicate their 75-67 win over the Bulldogs in the first round of the 2006 tournament, where USF was the No. 7 and Gonzaga the No. 2. |
WCC Women's Championship Schedule
• Thursday, March 6 •
#7 vs. #10 Pepperdine - Noon • #8 vs. #9 - 2 p.m.
• Friday, March 7 - Quarterfinals •
#3 vs. #6 - Noon • #2 vs. #7/10 - 2 p.m.
#1 Gonzaga vs. #8/9 - 6 p.m. • #4 vs. #5 - 8 p.m.
• Monday, March 10 - Semifinals •
#1/8/9 vs. #4/5 - Noon • #2/7/10 vs. #3/6 - 2 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 11 - Championships •
1 p.m. on ESPNU
All session tickets are priced at $35, with single session options ranging from $15-20, and student tickets at $5.
Dons in the WCC Championships
USF sports a 15-17 all-time record in the WCC Championships, and the Dons' first round win over Pepperdine snapped a six-game slide in the postseason. Prior to 2013, USF's last post-season victory came in 2007.
Since the post-season tournament found a home in Las Vegas in 2009, USF holds a 1-5 record at the Orleans Arena.
History
The Dons earned three-straight titles in the 90s, defeating Portland for the crown in 1995, '96 and '97. USF was the first two-time tournament winner and is only matched by Gonzaga for consecutive championship titles (2009, '10, 11).
The Dons have been earned four post-season tournament bids, advancing to the 1995 NCAA First Round, 1996 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, 1997 NCAA First Round and the 2002 WNIT First Round.
Â
All-Conference Awards
Freshman Rachel Howard was tapped to the WCC All-Freshman squad, marking three-straight seasons with at least one honoree. She joins Zhané Dikes, Taylor Proctor and Taj Winston as fellow roster members earning the distinction. Sophomore tandem of Proctor and Dikes were named to the WCC All-Conference Honorable Mention list for their work on the season.
Ballin' Brainics
Three Dons were tapped for honors on the WCC All-Academic team, headlined by Paige Spietz. The redshirt junior from Brimfield, Ill., was named to the All-Academic team for her 3.38 grade-point average in environmental science. She was joined by Alexa Hardick and Jamie Katuna, who received honorable mention nods. This marks Hardick's second-straight honorable mention selection.
On the Air
Listen to longtime voice of the Dons and commentator for the 2013-14 TheW.tv slate, George Devine behind the mic all season long. Devine is in his 18th season as the play-by-play voice of USF women's basketball.
Hear the call and follow along with live stats and video for all home contests at War Memorial Gym, in partnership with Stretch Internet. Catch the action for both home and away games at usfdons.com/LIVE.
Get Connected
Fans can keep up on the latest in USF Athletics in a variety of ways.
Follow USF Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ DonsAthletics
Follow USF women's basketball on Facebook at www.facebook.com/San FranciscoWBB and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/USFBasketball
Check out video of the Dons in action at www.youtube.com/usfdonsathletics |
