Game #25
San Francisco Dons (9-15, 3-9 WCC) vs. No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs (23-1, 11-0 WCC)
Saturday,  Feb. 7, 2015 • 8:30 p.m.
Memorial Gymnasium • San Francisco, Calif.
Series Record: Gonzaga 49-22
Last Meeting: Gonzaga 88-57 (Jan. 8, 2015)
Audio/Video Streaming: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: ESPN2 (Beth Mowins, Play-by-Play; Stan Heath, Analyst)

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF) | Complete Gonzaga Game Notes (PDF)

The Dandy Dons

• Now 9-15 overall and 3-9 in the West Coast Conference after suffering a 69-57 home loss to Portland on Thursday night...have dropped four straight and are 6-15 over last 21 games after a 3-0 start.
• Enter the Saturday's action in ninth place in the WCC standings, one game behind eighth place LMU and one game in front of 10th place Pacific.
• Enduring its second four-game losing streak of the season...last time USF lost five straight was in the 2012-13 season, when the Dons dropped their first five conference games.
• Suffered a 88-57 loss to Gonzaga earlier this season in Spokane...Dons have dropped five straight in the series following its last victory over the Zags on Feb. 18, 2012, 66-65 in San Francisco.
• With its No. 2 national ranking in the AP poll, Gonzaga is the highest-ranked team ever to visit Memorial Gymnasium.
• Finish the regular season by playing four of the last six games at home...are 6-6 on the Memorial Gymnasium hardwood this season but just 1-4 in home conference games, with the lone win coming over Pepperdine.
• Shot just 36.4 percent Thursday vs. Portland after shooting close to 50 percent combined over the previous four contests (101-203)...shooting 46.1 from the field this season, which ranks fourth in the WCC.
• Were outrebounded by Portland, 39-28..have been outrebounded in nine of its first 12 conference games after outboarding 10 of its first 12 opponents...were +9.7 on the boards vs. non-conference foes and are -3.5 vs. the first 12 conference opponents...rank fifth in the WCC in rebound average (35.5) and are sixth in rebound margin (+2.4).
• Three players - Matt Glover (5.5), Kruize Pinkins (5.4), and Mark Tollefsen (5.2) - are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game while Tim Derksen is averaging 4.7.
• Were 8-for-25 from three-point range vs. Portland...have made just 27-of-105 (25.7) three-point attempts over the last six games, dipping the season percentage to 35.4, which ranks seventh in the WCC...shooting just 30.0 percent from beyond the arc in conference play.
• Have committed 44 turnovers over the last three games leading to 66 points by the opponent.
• Have attempted 548 free throws this season, which is tied with Kentucky for the 15th highest total in the nation...however, are shooting just 60.8 percent from the line, which ranks 10th in the WCC and is the ninth lowest percentage in the nation among Division I teams...have made 59-of-95 (57.8) free throws in losing last four games by a combined total of 26 points.
• USF's 2015 Hall of Fame Class, which includes former Don standout Ed Thomas '64 and former head women's coach Bill Nepfel, will be introduced at halftime.

Notables

Opening Tip
USF (9-15, 3-9 WCC) continues its three-game homestand Saturday night when the Dons play host to No. 2 Gonzaga (23-1, 11-0 WCC) in nationally-televised game on ESPN2 beginning at 8:30 p.m. The Dons suffered a 69-57 home loss to Portland on Thursday night while the Zags rolled to a 77-63 victory at Santa Clara.

Series History with Gonzaga
In a series that dates back to the 1961-62 season, Gonzaga leads the all-time series with USF, 49-22, including 44-17 in WCC play. The Zags have also won two of the three games played in WCC Tournament competition. The Bulldogs won the first meeting between the two schools earlier this season, claming a 31-point 88-57 victory on Jan. 8 in Spokane. Gonzaga won both meetings between the schools last season, claiming a 69-41 decision in Spokane on Dec. 30 and posting a 75-65 victory on the Hilltop on Feb. 1. The Zags have won five straight in the series dating back to USF's last win, 66-65 on Feb. 18, 2012 in San Francisco.

First Meeting With Gonzaga
USF dropped a 88-57 decision to sixth-ranked Gonzaga on Jan. 8 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.
 
Last Time Out
USF lost for the fourth consecutive time Thursday night, falling to Portland 69-57 in Memorial Gymnasium. The Pilots raced out to a 10-0 lead only to see the Dons regroup and lead at halftime, 36-33.  Portland outscored the Dons 11-2 to start the second period and built a 44-38 lead with 13:20 left. The Dons whittled the lead down to four at 54-50 with 6:12 left only to see the Pilots ice the game with a 8-0 run which boosted the lead back to 12 at 62-50. The Pilots made 9-of-18 three-point attempts and outrebounded USF, 39-28. The Dons shot just 22.7 percent in the second half and 36.4 percent for the game. Tim Derksen (17) and Mark Tollefsen (10) scored in double figures for the Dons, while Kevin Bailey and Alec Wintering each had 20 points to pace the Pilots.

The Record
At 9-15 overall, USF is six games off its pace from last season when the Dons were 15-9 overall and 8-4 in the WCC at the 24-game mark. The Dons ultimately finishing with a 21-12 overall mark and tied for second in the WCC with a 13-5 conference ledger. After a 3-0 start, USF is 6-15 over its last 21 games and has not won back-to-back games since its 3-0 start. The Dons are enduring their second four-game losing streak of the season. The last time USF dropped five straight games was in 2012-13, when the Dons lost its first five conference games.

The Wins
Of USF's nine wins this season, eight have been by double digit margins and an average of 23.4 points (82.2 to 58.8). The Dons have posted four wins of 30 points or more against South Carolina State (91-52), Notre Dame de Namur (86-46), Houston Baptist (85-54) and Portland State (77-40) and also own double digit victories over Hawaii (88-73), Montana (76-57), Portland (89-77) and Pepperdine (71-59).

The Losses
Of USF's 10 conference losses, four have been by eight points or fewer. USF  has lost a pair of one-point games to San Diego (57-56) and LMU (70-69) on its home floor, dropped a six point decision at Santa Clara (70-64), fell by four points at BYU (78-74) and fell by eight points at San Diego (77-69) after squandering a late lead.

Against Ranked Opponents
USF is 2-8 in 10 games vs. opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 dating back to the 2008-09 season, including a 88-57 loss to No. 6 Gonzaga earlier this season. Both of the Dons Top 25 wins came at the expense of Gonzaga in 2010 (No. 11; 81-77 OT) and 2012 (No. 24; 66-65). The Dons lost both of their games last season against ranked opponents, falling to No. 17 Oregon (100-82) and No. 24 Gonzaga (69-41). At No. 2 in this week's AP poll, Gonzaga is the highest-rated team the Dons have faced since the Feb. 15, 1969 when No. 3 Santa Clara defeated USF, 72-47. The last time USF defeated a top-five team was on March 23, 1956 when the Dons downed No. 5 Iowa to claim its second straight national title. The highest-ranked team USF has ever defeated was No. 3 LaSalle in the 1955 NCAA Championship game.

The Home Record
USF will play five out of its last seven regular season games at home, where the Dons are 6-6 this season. However, USF is just 1-4 on the Memorial Gymnasium hardwood against WCC foes, with the lone win coming at the expense of Pepperdine, 71-59 on Jan. 22.

Fabulous in February
Over the last five seasons dating back to the 2009-10 campaign, USF has posted a 22-13 (.647) record in the month of February, including back-to-back 5-2 marks each of the last two seasons.

Dons Defensively
USF allowed a combined 224 points in its last three games at BYU (78-74), San Diego (77-69) and Portland (57-69). USF ranks eighth overall in the WCC in points allowed per game (68.6). After limiting 12 non-conference opponents to 38.9 percent shooting from the floor, the first 12 WCC foes have clipped the nets at 44.5 percent. USF ranks fifth overall in field goal defense at 42.8 percent.

Turnovers
USF has committed a total of 44 turnovers in its last three games vs. BYU (17), San Diego (17) and Portland (10), leading to 66 points in three losses which came by a combined total of 24 points. USF has committed 12 turnovers or more in 11 games this season.

Defending the Three
USF is allowing opponents to shoot 36.5 percent from three-point range, which ranks eighth in the WCC.  The first 12 WCC opponents have clipped the nets at 35.4 percent from long distance. Nine opponents have made at least nine three-pointers against USF this season, including Portland, which made 9-of-18 threes Thursday night.

Board Work
After outrebounding 10 of its 12 opponents by 8.3 boards a game, USF has been outrebounded in nine of its first 12 conference games, 34.5 to 31.0. USF ranks fifth the WCC in rebound average at 35.5 per game and sixth in rebound margin (+2.4). However, USF is being outboarded by 3.5 per game in conference action.  In nine wins this season, USF has held a decisive advantage on the boards (38.4-30.4). Three players - Matt Glover (5.5), Kruize Pinkins (5.4), and Mark Tollefsen (5.2) - are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game while Tim Derksen is averaging 4.7. All four players have pulled down 10 or more rebounds in a game this season.

From the Field
After combining to shoot 49.7 (101-for-203) from the floor over its previous four games, USF cooled off against Portland, managing to shoot just 36.4 for the game, including 22.7 (8-for-25) in the second half. USF is shooting 46.1 percent from the field this season, which ranks fourth in the WCC. The Dons have shot 50 percent or better from the floor six times this season, but just twice in its last 16 games.

From the Line
USF is shooting 60.8 percent from the foul line, which ranks last in the WCC and is the eighth-lowest percentate among 345 Division I teams. The Dons are slightly better in conference action at 66.3 percent. USF has made just 172-of-310 (55.4) of their free throws in 15 losses which have come by a total of 162 points. USF's 548 free throw attempts is tied with Kentucky for the 15th highest total in the country among Division I teams.

Beyond the Arc
USF has made just 27-of-105 (25.7) of its three-point attempts over the last six games and now ranks seventh in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at .354 (155-for-438). The Dons are shooting 43.6 percent (71-for-163) from long distance in nine wins this season and are shooting just 30.5 percent (84-for-275) from beyond the arc in 15 losses.

Bench Scoring
USF's bench has been outscored in eight of the last 11 games by an average of 23.1 to 13.3 points per game (239-148). Don reserves managed to outscore BYU, 23-20 but were outscored 39-10 two nights later at San Diego.