San Francisco (19-13) at Fresno State (22-9)- WNIT FIRST ROUND -Thursday, March 19
• 7 p.m.
• Save Mart Center
• TicketsLive stream/stats:
theMW.com • USF audio:
usfdons.com/liveComplete game notes (PDF)The Buzz
After finishing as West Coast Conference tournament runners-up as the sixth seed in the field, the Dons earn their first postseason berth since 2002, and seek their first postseason victory since 1996's run to the NCAA Sweet 16.
Finishing the season taking wins in four out of its last five contests, USF meets up with Fresno State Thursday in the first round of the WNIT.
How We Got Here - WCC Championships QuickCap
USF entered the conference tournament as the No. 6 seed at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. By the time they left the desert, the Dons had upended third-seeded Pacific and the No. 2 seed San Diego. In USF's victory over the Toreros, the Dons overcame a 17-point first-half deficit, their largest comeback win of the season. USF advanced th the WCC title game for the first time since taking the crown in 1997 before falling to BYU, 76-75. Taj Winston paced the team with averages of 20.7 points on 52.6 percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game through three contests. For her efforts, she was named to the All-Tournament squad, the first time a Don had graced the postseason team since 1997.#WeAreSF
The Dons have two women averaging double-digit scoring, paced by
Taylor Proctor's team-leading 15.6 points on .474 shooting and 7.9 rebounds a night. Proctor ranks in the WCC top six in all three categories.
Taj Winston puts up 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. Her steals average is good for second in the league and 49th in the NCAA.
As a team, USF is connecting on 76.1 percent of its free throw attempts, 11th nationally, paced by
Paige Spietz' percentage of 84.9 (34th in NCAA).
How They Got Here - Know the Foe
Fresno State sports a 22-9 overall record and finished third in the Mountain West Conference with a mark of 13-5 in league games this season. The team finished the season ranking 55th in the Rating Percentage Index, the highest in the league.
The Bulldogs were paced on the season by Alex Sheedy's team highs of 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. For her efforts she was named MW Co-Player of the Year after ranking fifth in scoring and 10th in rebounding and steals. Senior point guard Raven Fox was also named MW Sixth Player of the Year, and she enters averaging 8.4 points on a team-high 47.6 percent shooting, 2.3 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.4 assists, playing a key role defensively for the top defensive team in the conference.
As a team, Fresno State stands in 20th in the nation in steals per game (11.0), 12th in 3-point percentage defense, and 39th in blocks per game (4.8)
The Dons will be the third West Coast Conference team the Bulldogs have faced in the 2013-14 campaign, after Fresno State took wins at San Diego (93-88) and against Saint Mary's (60-56).
2015 marks the program's sixth selection into the WNIT, eighth-straight appearance in a postseason tournament, and 13th postseason appearance overall.
USF & Fresno State - The Series
San Francisco holds the 17-14 overall advantage in the all-time series, including a record-setting win in the 2013 iteration. With swarming defense and sweltering shooting form the paint, USF capped last season's non-conference schedule with a 74-47 victory in Fresno on Dec. 20, 2013.
USF's 59.3 percent shooting in the game marked a new school record that stood for over 27 years. The Dons scored 62 points in the paint and shot an eye-popping 69.6 percent (16-of-23) in the second half to boost USF to the record. The win stands as the largest margin over a regular-season NCAA Division I opponent since the 1994-95 season.
TRENDS
Last 5: 1-4 • Last 10: 4-6
• Home: 9-7 • Away: 7-8 • Neutral: 1-0
WCC in the Postseason - 2015
For the second straight season and for the third time in four years, the WCC is sending two teams to the NCAA Tournament: No. 14 BYU and No. 11 Gonzaga. This marks the 10th time that two WCC teams have advanced to the NCAA postseason.
A record four West Coast Conference programs captured berths in the 2015 WNIT - Pacific, Saint Mary's, San Diego and San Francisco.
The six teams competing in the 2015 postseason (two NCAA, four WNIT) establishes a new conference record. Last season five teams competed in the postseason (BYU, Gonzaga - NCAA; Pacific, Saint Mary's and San Diego - WNIT).
The West Coast Conference owns an all-time record of 12-30 in the NCAA Postseason (30 overall berths) and is 18-27 in the WNIT (28 overall berths).
USF Postseason History
The 2015 WNIT marks the fifth time in program history USF has made the field of a postseason tournament since Division I women's basketball was sanctioned by the NCAA in 1981.
2002 - USF's most recent appearance in the postseason was its only other occasion to participate in the WNIT, in 2002. In that season, the Dons closed the season with an 18-12 record and a first round loss at USC, 72-53.
1995 - The Dons' only other postseason appearances came in consecutive seasons. In 1995, the Dons were the No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament, but No. 6 seed Arkansas proved to be too much to handle as the Razorbacks posted the 67-58 first round win in Seattle.
1996 - In USF's most successful postseason march, the Dons started their Cinderella run as the No. 12 seed with a 68-61 victory over ten-No. 16 Florida. In the second round the Dons garnered the biggest win in school history, shocking regional host and then-No. 13 Duke 64-60 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The yeys of the country were on USF as the team faced the defending national champions from Connecticut in the Sweet 16 before dropping the 72-44 decision to close with a 24-8 overall record.
1997 - The Dons made their last NCAA tournament field as the No. 11 seed in the Mideast Region. USF fell 68-55 to USC in the game, capping a 25-6 season.
The Last Time ...
USF is rolling through a season that hasn't been matched in some time, including owning a winning overall record for the first time since 2002's WNIT bid.
The Dons opened the year 3-0
• 1983-84
The Dons won seven in a row at home
• 1996-97
The Dons had 10 wins at home
• 2007-08
The Dons posted a winning season
• 2001-02
The Dons finished WCC play 6th or better
• 2004-05
The Dons played in the WCC semis
• 2006-07
The Dons played in the WCC finals
• 1996-97
The Dons earned a postseason bid
• 2001-02
The Dons won a postseason game
• 1995-96
On the Air
Listen to longtime voice of the Dons,
George Devine, behind the mic all season long. Devine is in his 19th 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 at theW.tv!
On the Horizon
Should USF earn the first round WNIT victory, the Dons will advance to meet the winner of Friday's contest against WCC-foe Saint Mary's and Hawaii.
In USF's two regular season meetings with the Gaels, the Dons split the series. At home, the Dons let a 21-point lead slip away as Saint Mary's connected on a last-second shot for the 68-66 victory. The Dons got a taste of redemption in Moraga, snapping a five-game skid at the hand of the Gaels. The Dons took the 65-63 victory in the final week of the regular season, the start of a four-game winning streak.
The last time the Dons and the Rainbow Wahine tussled, USF took care of Hawaii, 65-52, to open the 2012-13 campaign.
For more information on USF's postseason play, including links, stories, schedules and where to watch, visit
usfdons.com/WNIT and use the hashtag #oWNITdons on social media.
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, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/USFDonsWBB, or via Instagram at www.instagram.com/USFBasketball- Check out video of the Dons in action at www.youtube.com/usfdonsathletics and tune in to Comcast SportsNet California for USF's monthly cable feature series, "Behind the Mask". Check local listings for additional air times, dates and channel information.
