Tale of the Tape
|
USF
69.1
.407
38.1
10.7
6.8
2.7
|
vs.
Points/Game
Field Goal Pct.
Rebounds/Game
Assists/Game
Steals/Game
Blocks/Game |
Gonzaga
75.7
.434
42.6
16.4
12.0
4.2
|
Just the Facts, Ma'am
University of San Francisco women's basketball looks to play the upset card in Vegas against regular-season champion, Gonzaga, in the WCC Championship quarterfinals.
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.
What 2 Watch 4
USF heads into Saturday'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 Las Vegas native Zhané Dikes (11.9 ppg), and Taj Winston (11.2 ppg) adding to the USF offense. USF will try to snap a 17-game losing streak to the Bulldogs, dating back to the 2006 conference tournament held in Spokane.
Know the Foe - Gonzaga
The Bulldogs are paced by Haiden Palmer's 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.03 steals a night. Her steals per game average is good for 10th in the nation, and the team ranks second overall in the category. Sunny Greinacher adds 11.3 points per game and Lindsay Sherbert contributes 10.5 points for the Gonzaga offense.
Holding teams to 55.5 points per game, the Bulldogs rank 10th in the NCAA in scoring defense, and their +20.2 scoring margin is good for sixth. Palmer and Greinacher were named to the 2014 All-WCC team, and Kelly Graves was tapped as WCC coach of the year.
Dons & Bulldogs - The First Time
In the first meeting between the Dons and Bulldogs, Gonzaga cruised to a 68-40 win at War Memorial Gym. USF was led by Denae Mary Williams' career-high 15 points off the bench and Taylor Proctor's 12 points and four steals in the contest. Gonzaga's Haiden Palmer poured in 26 points in the victory.
USF & Gonzaga - And Again
The Dons and Bulldogs played a high-octane first half which saw USF hit an eye-popping 70.8 percent of its first half shots. The score was 50-46 in favor of the Bulldogs at the break before Gonzaga ratcheted up the pressure and eased to a 101-66 win.
On the Horizon
Should No. 8-seeded USF earn a victory Saturday, the Dons will move on to the tournament semifinals Monday at noon. The last time the Dons played three games in the league championship was in 1997's title run.
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 |
WCC Women's Championship Schedule
• Thursday, March 6 •
#10 Pepperdine 80, #7 Santa Clara 74
#8 USF 63, #9 Loyola Marymount 62
• Friday, March 7 - Quarterfinals •
#3 Pacific vs. #6 Portland - Noon (BYUtv)
#2 BYU vs. #10 Pepperdine - 2 p.m. (BYUtv)
#1 Gonzaga vs. #8 San Francisco - 6 p.m. (BYUtv)
#4 Saint Mary's vs. #5 San Diego - 8 p.m. (BYUtv)
• Monday, March 10 - Semifinals •
#1/8 vs. #4/5 - Noon • #2/10 vs. #3/6 - 2 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 11 - Championship •
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.
Round One Remix
For the second-straight game, the San Francisco women's basketball team took on Loyola Marymount in a nail-biter. And for the second-straight game, it took another wild finish provided by the hand of Taj Winston to get the job done. With 1.0 second remaining, Winston powered up her second putback attempt and her layup found the bottom of the twine to put the Dons up by a point. Echoing the finish at War Memorial Gym less than a week ago, the Lions faltered on the inbounds play and USF secured the basketball for the victory.
Winston closed the night leading nearly every statistical category for the Dons with team-highs of 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Taylor Proctor contributed 13 points and seven boards and senior Alexa Hardick added 12 points, all from 3-point range and all in the second half. Denae Mary Williams, also provided a much-needed spark in the second half, finishing with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting in 16 minutes of action. [FULL RECAP/VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS]
Dons in the WCC Championship
USF sports a 15-17 all-time record in the WCC Championship, 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.
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. |
