Game #18
San Francisco Dons (7-10, 1-4 WCC) vs. Portland Pilots (11-5, 2-2 WCC)
Saturday,  Jan. 10, 2015 • 1:00 p.m.
Chiles Center • Portland, Ore.Series Record: USF 53-26
Last Meeting: USF 84-71 (Jan. 29, 2014)
Audio/Video Streaming: TheW.tv (
Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: Time Warner Network (Barry Tompkins, Play-by-Play; Casey Jacobsen, Analyst)
Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)Â
The Dandy Dons
- Stand 7-10 overall and 1-4 in the West Coast Conference...have lost four straight after opening conference play with a win at Pacific...are 4-10 over the last 14 games after a 3-0 start.
- Four-game losing streak is the team's longest since dropping its first five conference games in the 2012-13 season...last lost five straight in 2012-13.
- Were 11-6 at the 17-game mark last season before ultimately finishing 21-12 and 13-5 WCC (t-2nd).
- Coming off consecutive 31-point losses to BYU (99-68) and Gonzaga (88-57)..marks the worst back-to-back losses in school history.
- Swept the season series vs. Portland last year, winning 87-81 in overtime in Portland and 84-71 in San Francisco...re 23-6 vs. the Pilots dating back to the 2000-01 season and have won eight out the last nine in the series and four straight at the Chiles Center.
- Are 11-5 in last 16 WCC road games dating back to the 2012-13 season.
- Have been outrebounded in four of its first five conference games after outboarding 10 of its first 12 opponents...were +9.7 on the boards vs. non-conference foes and are -5.0 vs. the first five conference opponents...rank fifth in the WCC in rebound average (37.1) and seventh in margin (+3.3).
- Three players - Matt Glover, (5.9), Kruize Pinkins (5.6) and Mark Tollefsen (5.3) - are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game while Tim Derksen is averagaing 4.6.
- Shooting 46.1 percent from the floor, fourth-best in the WCC...have shot 50 percent or better in four games this season, including a season-high 64.9 effort vs. Montana.
- WCC foes shooting 50.9 percent from the floor after five conference games and outscoring the Dons 76.8 to 62.8 (+24.0).
- Rank fourth in the WCC in three-point percentage at 37.9 percent...junior Tim Derksen ranks second in the WCC in 3-point field goal percentage at .481 (25-for-48).
- Shooting just 57.9 (216-373) from the stripe on the season which ranks last among WCC teams and is the third lowest percentage in the nation among Division I teams.
- Employed its sixth starting lineup of the season Thursday at Gonzaga...used three starting lineups all of last season.
- Senior Kruize Pinkins scored a game high 20 points at Gonzaga and leads the team in scoring with a 15.3 ppg mark...Pinkins has scored 20+ points in five games this season.
- Return to the Bay Area next week to face longtime rival Santa Clara on Saturday night at the Leavey Center..
NotablesOpening TipUSF's (7-10, 1-4 WCC) wraps up its Pacific Northwest road trip this afternoon against the Portland Pilots (11-5, 2-2 WCC) at the Chiles Center. The Dons have dropped four straight after Thursday night's 88-57 loss to No. 6 Gonzaga in Spokane. The Pilots are coming off a 78-61 home win over Santa Clara on Thursday.
Series History with PortlandIn a series that dates back to the 1952-53 season, USF leads the all-time series with Portland, 53-26. The Dons are 23-6 vs. the Pilots dating back to the 2000-01 season and have won eight out of the last nine in the series. The Dons swept the season series last year, claiming a 87-81 overtime victory at the Chiles Center on Dec. 28 and besting the Pilots 84-71 in San Francisco on Jan. 29. USF has won the last four games against the Pilots at the Chiles Center.
Last Year's Games vs. PortlandUSF opened WCC play with a 87-81 overtime victory over Portland at the Chiles Center on Dec. 28.
Chris Adams hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 0:01 left in regulation to answer Kevin Bailey's 3-pointer which gave the Pilots a 69-66 lead with 0:09 left. The Dons rallied from a 35-27 halftime deficit to earn their fourth straight win at the Chiles Center. USF shot 60.4 percent from the field and outrebounded the Pilots, 40-22.
Mark Tollefsen scored a career-high 22 points while
Avry Holmes finished with 15.
Cole Dickerson (13),
Matt Glover (11) and
Kruize Pinkins (11) also scored in double figures.
In the return game on Jan. 29 in San Francisco,
Cole Dickerson (21) and
Kruize Pinkins (20) combined for 41 points to lead USF to a 84-71 win in Memorial Gymnasium. It was the Dons third straight win as USF completed the season sweep of the Pilots. USF never trailed in the game but led by just six points at 70-64 with 3:13 left before going on 12-2 run to ice the game. The Dons shot 56.3 percent from the floor and outreounded the Pilots, 32-24.
Avry Holmes (15) and
Mark Tollefsen (12) also reached double-figures for USF.
Last Time OutUSF dropped a 88-57 decision to sixth-ranked Gonzaga Thursday night in Spokane. The Dons trailed by just 10 points at halftime, 37-27 but were outscored 51-30 after the break en route to a 26th consecutive loss to the Zags in Spokane. Gonzaga shot 60 percent in the second half and took advantage of 13 Don turnovers.
Kruize Pinkins scored a game-high 20 points while
Devin Watson added 11. No other USF player scored more than five points. Kevin Pangos led four Zags in double figures with 17 points.
The RecordUSF has lost four straight games, the team's longest losing streak since dropping its first five conference games in 2012-13. At 7-10, USF is four games off its pace of last season when the Dons were 11-6 and 4-1 in the WCC at the 17-game mark. USF ultimately finished with a 21-12 overall mark and tied for second in the WCC with a 13-5 conference ledger.
