Game 4: San Francisco Dons (2-1, 0-0 WCC) at Utah Valley Wolverines (4-1, 0-0 WAC)Monday, Nov. 23 | 6 p.m. PT | UCCU Center in Orem, Utah (8,500)
Series record: USF leads, 1-0 | Last meeting: W, 69-50 (H) 11/29/14
Watch live on the WAC Digital Network|
Listen to USF audio stream (
George Devine, play-by-play)
Complete game notes (PDF)By the Numbers
When the Dons have the ball USF Scoring Offense - 69.0 (146) | Utah Valley Scoring Defense - 66.6 (213)
USF Field Goal Pct. - .448 (68) | Utah Valley FG Pct. Defense - .361 (120)
USF 3FG Pct. - .275 (230) | Utah Valley 3FG Pct. Defense - .294 (159)
USF Free Throw Pct. - .712 (106)
When the Wolverines have the ball Utah Valley Scoring Offense - 74.4 (91) | USF Scoring Defense - 51.3 (41)
Utah Valley Field Goal Pct. - .419 (128) | USF FG Pct. Defense - .327 (47)
Utah Valley 3FG Pct.-.325 (132) | USF 3FG Pct. Defense-.390 (311)
Utah Valley Free Throw Pct - .744 (57)
Comparison (USF/UVU):Scoring Margin: 17.7 > 7.8
Rebounds/Game: 38.3 <>
Assists/Game: 16.3 > 12.4
Turnovers/Game 19.3 > 15.6
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 0.8 = 0.8
Steals/Game: 13.3 > 7.2
Blocks/Game: 2.7 <>
(NCAA rankings in parentheses)
#OneTeam
The Dons continue an early-season swing of five games in the span of 12 days, taking on Utah Valley. USF is looking to rebound from a one point loss to Cal Poly in its last outing, bringing the Dons' record to 2-1 on the season.
Between the Baselines
The Dons' early-season focus on defense has led to placement in the NCAA rankings. USF rates 20th in the NCAA in steals per game (13.3), 41st nationally in scoring defense (51.3), and USF's field goal percentage defense of .327 is good for 47th. The Dons are first West Coast Conference in each of these categories.
Individually,
Zhane Dikes leads the WCC in steals per game with 3.7, which stands at 35th in the NCAA.
Taylor Proctor's double-double average of 19.7 points and 11.0 rebounds leads the team in both categories. Her rebounding figure leads the league and is 43rd in the country. Proctor is averaging 8.0 defensive rebounds a game, 26th nationally.
Know the Foe
Utah Valley enters the game riding a four-game winning streak, with its only blemish on the year coming at head coach Cathy Nixon's alma mater, BYU, in their season opener. The Wolverines have four women averaging double-digit scoring, paced by junior Rhaiah Spooner-Knight's 13.6 points per game on .468 shooting.
Second-half strong, Utah Valley is outscoring its opponents 112-96 in the third quarter, and 91-74 in the final period of games.
Series Snippits
The Dons and Wolverines have only met once before, facing off last year in San Francisco. That game, contested on Nov. 29, 2014, went the way of the home team, 69-50.
Taylor Proctor notched a 20-point, 15-rebound double-double and Zhané Dikes added 10 and nine in the victory.
Patrice Toston led the Wolverines scoring with 15 points in the game.
Last Time Out
As the final buzzer was sounding on Friday night at War Memorial at The Sobrato Center, a San Francisco layup found the bottom of the net for the basket. Unfortunately for the Dons, the margin was three and Cal Poly escaped the Hilltop with a 62-61 victory.
USF senior
Taylor Proctor led all scorers with 21 points and 13 rebounds, for her second straight double-double, and the 18th of her career.
Rachel Howard, a junior from Berkeley, Calif., finished with 15 points for the Dons, including three 3-pointers.
USF finished with the shooting advantage in the game, 39.7 to 34.4 percent, but the difference came from beyond the arc. Cal Poly connected on 41.7 percent of its long-range attempts, going 10-for-24 in the contest.
Records Watch
With 1,238 career points Taylor Proctor continues to climb the all-time leaderboard for the Dons. Proctor stands in 11th all time and needs 18 points to pass Teri Hunt (1984-87) and claim her spot in the Top 10. Also a member of the 500-Rebound Club, Proctor stands in ninth all-time with 683 boards, and needs 15 to leapfrog Margaret Walsh (1983-87).War Memorial at The Sobrato Center
Silicon Valley philanthropist and real estate developer John A. Sobrato and his wife Susan have made an historic gift of $15 million to the University of San Francisco, the largest gift from individuals in the institution's history.The gift will support USF's first-ever master plan for athletic facilities, renovate the 60-year old War Memorial Gymnasium, and help USF uphold its tradition of excellence in Division 1 athletics. The multi-use facility will be named The Sobrato Center and will feature a new club level with preferred seating that also bears the Sobrato name."As a real estate developer, I like to build things," Sobrato said. "When I saw War Memorial Gym, I asked myself: Why don't we modernize this building, bring in the natural light, and make it a much more inviting place not only for athletics but also for all campus events. It's going to be a great looking building when we're done."On the Air
Listen to longtime voice of the Dons,
George Devine, behind the mic all season long. Devine is in his 20th season as the play-by-play voice of USF women's basketball.
Watch all home games on theW.tv/live, in partnership with Silver Chalice/Campus Insiders. Get in on the action for both home and away contests at usfdons.com/LIVE.Catch all the action, any time, anywhere at theW.tv!
Jumping Ahead
The Dons continue a stretch of five games in 12 days, taking on North Dakota as part of a men's and women's basketball double-header on Wednesday. One ticket will allow entry to both contests. The women tip at 5:30 p.m., and the men's contest against UC Santa Barbara is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Get Connected
Fans can follow the Dons in a variety of ways:
- Via the departmental
Twitter,
Facebook,
Instagramand Snapchat with the username donsathletics.
- Through the USF women's basketball team-specific
Twitter,
Facebook, and
Instagram.
- On
YouTube at USFDonsAthletics, where fans can view video segments online
- On Comcast SportsNet California in USF Athletics' monthly show, "Behind the Mask"
- With previews, recaps, videos, features and more as seen on
USFDons.com
