West Coast Conference Championships • Quarterfinals
No. 8 San Francisco Dons (14-17, 7-11 WCC) vs. No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (29-2, 17-1 WCC)
Saturday,  March 7, 2015 • 6:00 p.m.
Orleans Arena • Las Vegas, Nev.
Series Record: Gonzaga 50-22
Last Meeting: Gonzaga 81-70 (Feb. 7, 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)

The Dandy Dons

• Improved to 14-17 overall with a 62-58 victory over Pacific in the first round of the WCC Championships.
• Face top-seed and No. 7 (AP) Gonzaga in a quarterfinal game on Saturday...the winner will advance to face either fourth-seed Pepperdine or fifth-seed San Diego in a semifinal game in Monday.
• Have now won five out of its last six games following a five-game losing streak...entered last year's WCC Championships on a five-game winning streak.
• USF is 17-27 all-time in the WCC Championships dating back to the first event in 1987...reached the semifinals last season where it fell to BYU in overtime...won its only tournament title in 1998 with a win over Gonzaga...have reached the semifinals three times in the last four years, including last season where it fell to BYU in overtime.
• Enter the WCC Championships as the eighth-seed, which is the Dons lowest seeding in the history of the event...were seeded No. 7 three times (1991, '99 and 2009).
• Dropped both games in the season series to Gonzaga, losing 88-57 in Spokane and 81-70 in San Francisco...have lost six straight overall in the series...are 1-2 in three meetings with the Zags in WCC Tournament play.
• Last time USF defeated a top-10 team was on Dec. 29, 1981, when the sixth-ranked Dons downed No. 2 Wichita State, 84-74 at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu.
• In last five wins, Dons have allowed just 54.8 points a game while limiting the opponent to 34.4 percent shooting from the floor, including 25.8 percent from three-point range.
• Ten of USF's 14 wins this season have been by double digit margins and by and avergage of 22.3 points (80.1-57.8)...have six wins of 20-points or more this season.
• Of USF's 11 conference losses, six were by eight points or fewer (31 total), including a pair of one-point setbacks...however, also suffered three 31-point losses in conference play for the first time in program history.
• Have shot 50 percent or better from the floor eight times this season...now shooting 45.4 percent on the season - fourth best in the WCC.
• Were outboarded  by Pacific, 46-31 last night...were outrebounded in 13 of 18 conference games after holding the advantage on the glass in 10 of 12 non-conference games...averaging 34.7 boards a game this season.
• Three players - Matt Glover (6-0), Mark Tollefsen (5.4) and Kruize Pinkins (5.5) - are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game while Tim Derksen is averaging 4.3.
• Are 30-for-102 (29.4) from long distance over the last five games, dipping the season percentage down to 34.3...shot just 30.6 percent from beyond the arc in conference play.

Notables

Opening Tip
The No. 8 seed USF Dons (14-17, 7-11 WCC) squares off against top-seed and seventh-ranked Gonzaga (29-2, 17-1 WCC) in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Championships in Las Vegas. The Dons advanced to the quarterfinals with a 62-58 first round victory over Pacific on Friday. The Zags had a first round bye and finished the regular season with a 73-70 home loss to BYU. The winner of tonight's game will face either No. 4 Pepperdine or No. 5 San Diego in Monday's semifinals.

USF in the WCC Championships
USF is 17-27 all-time in the WCC Tournament dating back to the first event in 1987. The Dons have reached the semifinals on nine occasions and have advanced to the championship game twice (1997 and '98), claiming its lone tournament title in 1998 with a 80-67 victory over Gonzaga. Last season, third-seeded USF defeated San Diego 69-60 in quarterfinal action before dropping a 79-77 overtime decision to BYU in the semifinals. USF has reached the semifinals three times in the last four years. The eighth seed is the Dons lowest in the history of the event (No. 7 on three occasions; last in 2009).

Series History with Gonzaga
In a series that dates back to the 1961-62 season, Gonzaga leads the all-time series with USF, 50-22, including 45-17 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 on Jan. 8, claming a 31-point 88-57 victory in Spokane.  The Zags completed the season sweep with a 81-70 on the Hilltop on Feb. 7. Gonzaga has won six 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.
 
Second Meeting With Gonzaga
USF gave Gonzaga all it could handle before the second-ranked Zags pulled away late to defeat the Dons, 81-70 before a sold out crowd in Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 7. The game was tied at 38-38 at halftime and the Zags led by just three points at 68-65 with 4:10 remaining. However, Gonzaga outscored USF 13-5 down the stretch to fend off the Dons upset bid. USF trailed by just five points at 73-68 with 1:42 left when the Zags went on a 8-0 run to ice the game. Both teams shot 50 percent from the field but the Zags held a decisive advantage on the boards (37-22) and at the foul line, where they made 23 (of 30) free throws compared to just nine for USF. Mark Tollefsen led the Dons with 18 points while Corey Hilliard came off the bench to add a career-high 13. Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer led all scorers with 29 points.

The Record
USF is now 14-17 overall after last night's win over Pacific. The Dons tied for sixth in the WCC standings with a 7-11 mark but were seeded eighth in the WCC Championship by virtue of a three-way tiebreaker with Portland and Santa Clara.  USF is seven games off its pace from last season when it was 21-10 overall at the 31-game mark following a win over San Diego in the quarterfinals of the WCC Championships. USF ultimately finished with a 21-12 overall mark. After a 3-0 start, USF is 11-17 over its last 28 games.

Since We Last Met
Since Gonzaga defeated USF 81-70 on Feb. 7, the Dons have won five out of their last six games, with the setback coming to Saint Mary's, 84-53 on Feb. 26.  Over the last six games, USF is limiting opponents to just 59.7 points per game and 38.3 percent shooting from the floor. In its last five wins, USF has allowed just 54.8 points per contest.

Trends
In two games against Gonzaga this season, Kruize Pinkins has averaged 15.5 points but just 2.0 rebounds while Mark Tollefsen has managed 11.5 ppg and 5.0 rebounds. The Zags have held Tim Derksen in check, as the junior has averaged just 6.0 points in the two games. USF has shot a respectable 45.5 percent from the field compared to Gonzaga at 51.3 percent. The Zags have owned the boards, 38.0-24.0.

Against Ranked Opponents
USF is 2-9 in its last 11 games vs. opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 dating back to the 2008-09 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).  The last time USF defeated a top-10 team was on Dec. 29, 1981, when the sixth-ranked Dons downed No.  2 Wichita State, 84-74 at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. USF also defeated No. 5 Notre Dame 79-70 on Jan. 10, 1977, No. 5 Iowa 83-71 in the 1956 NCAA Championship game and No. 3 LaSalle, 77-63 in the 1955 NCAA finals.

The Wins
Of USF's 14 wins this season, 10 have been by double digit margins and an average of 19.8 points (77.1 to 57.3). 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), Pepperdine (71-59), Loyola Marymount (72-45) and Pacific (65-55).

The Losses
Of USF's 12 conference losses, four were 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 lost by eight points at San Diego (77-69) after squandering a late lead. However, the Dons have suffered three, 31-point losses in conference play to Gonzaga (88-57), BYU (99-68) and Saint Mary's (84-53).

Strong Finishes
Over the last five seasons dating back to the 2009-10 campaign, USF has posted a 34-23 (.596) record in the months of February and March.

Dons in Overtime
USF is 1-1 in overtime games this season, dropping a 69-65 decision at Cleveland State and defeating Santa Clara, 69-62. The Dons are now 3-3 in its last six overtime games dating back to last season. The Dons are 12-6 in overtime games under Rex Walters.