Game Information
San Francisco Dons (11-9, 5-5 WCC) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (16-5, 8-2 WCC)
Saturday,  Jan. 30, 2016 • 5:00 p.m.
McCarthy Athletic Center • Spokane, Wash.
Series Record: Gonzaga 52-22
Last Meeting: Jan. 2, 2016 (Gonzaga 102-94 OT)
Audio Stream: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: ROOT/CSNCA (Greg Heister, Play-by-Play; Richard Fox, Dan Dickau; Analysts)
Live Stats: Gametracker

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

Opening Tip
USF (11-9, 5-5 WCC) wraps up its Pacific Northwest road trip on Saturday against the Gonzaga Bulldogs (16-5, 8-2 WCC). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at the McCarthy Athletic Center. Both teams are coming off wins on Thursday. USF dispatched of Portland, 87-76 while Gonzaga downed Santa Clara, 84-67. The game will be televised on ROOT and available in the Bay Area on CSNCA.

The Matchup

About Gonzaga
Are 16-5 overall and 8-2 in the WCC after Thursday night's home win over Santa Clara…are one game behind first place Saint Mary's in the conference standings and one game ahead of third place BYU…have held 10 of its last 12 opponents under 45 percent shooting, including five below 40 percent…senior Kyle Wiltjer leads the WCC and ranks 11th nationally in scoring at 22.3 points per game…he is averaging 3.5 more points a game in conference play than non-conference games…Domantis Sabonis is averaging a double-double at 17.2 points and 11.8 rebunds a game…he ranks sixth in the NCAA in rebound average…he has 12 double-doubles on the year…Wiltjer and Sabonis form the highest-scoring duo in the WCC…over the last five games, Kyle Dranginis is 10-for-21 from three-point range…Zags have won 47 of its last 49 home conference games with both losses coming to BYU…head coach Mark Few is the winningest active coach in NCAA Division I by percentage at .808 (454-108) and is 219-29 all-time against WCC opposition.

Series History with Gonzaga
In a series that dates back to the 1961-62 season, Gonzaga leads the all-time series with USF, 52-22, including 46-17 in WCC play. Gonzaga has won eight straight in the series dating back to USF's last win, 66-65 on Feb. 18, 2012 in San Francisco. The Zags have also won 26 straight over the Dons in Spokane dating back to USF's last win on Feb. 10, 1989 (67-64). The Bulldogs claimed a 102-92 overtime decision in the first meeting between the two schools on Jan. 2 in San Francisco (see below). The two teams met in the quarterfinals of last year's WCC Championships, with Gonzaga prevailing 81-72. The Zags hold a 3-1 advantage in WCC Championship games.

First Meeting With Gonzaga
USF failed to hold a 16-point, 74-58 lead with 8:49 left in regulation and dropped a 102-94 overtime decision to 24th-ranked Gonzaga on Jan. 2 in San Francisco. The Dons were nursing a 10-point lead at 79-69 with 3:02 left when the Zags went on a 13-0 run to take a 82-79 lead. Tim Derksen hit a game tying three-pointer with :07 left to send the game into overtime. However, the Zags outscored the Dons, 20-12 in the extra period to fend off the upset bid. Devin Watson scored a career high 33 points while Ronnie Boyce III added 20 to pace four Dons in double figures. Domantis Sabonis (35) and Kyle Wiltjer (30) combined for 65 points for Gonzaga, which shot 54.4 percent from the field on the night. The Dons made 14-of-31 three-pointers, with Watson and Boyce connecting on five apiece.

Worth Watching

• USF is searching for its first win over Gonzaga in Spokane since the 1989 season.
• The last time the Dons swept Portland and Gonzaga on the road in the same season was in 1981-82.
• The Dons have won two straight over Santa Clara and Portland and are now 17-10 in their last 27 WCC road game dating back to the 2012-13 season.
• The top two scoring tandems in the WCC are on display in Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer-Domantis Sabonis and USF's Devin Watson-Tim Derksen.

USF at a Glance

• Improved to 11-9 overall and 5-5 in the WCC with a 87-76 victory over Portland Thursday night at the Chiles Center...six Dons scored in double figures, paced by Ronnie Boyce's 19 points.
• Enter Saturday's game alone in fifth place in the WCC standings behind fourth place BYU (6-3) and one game ahead of Pacific (4-5).
• Play the last of three straight road games Saturday at Gonzaga...are 4-4 on the road this season and are 17-10 in its last 27 WCC road games dating back to the 2012-13 season.
• Dropped a 102-94 overtime decision to the Zags on Jan. 2 in San Francisco...failed to hold a 16-point lead with 8:49 remaining...have dropped eight straight in the series, including 26 consecutive games in Spokane...Dons last road win in the series came on Feb. 10, 1989 (67-64).
• Averaging 87.0 points (783 total) over its last nine games and rank fifth in the WCC in scoring at 76.9...averaging 83.5 ppg in 10 WCC games but are also giving up 83.6 ppg to conference foes.
• Rallied from deficits of 19 (Pacific) and 15 (Portland, Santa Clara) points in three of five conference wins.
• Of the Dons 11 wins this season, five have been by a combined total of 19 points...were 1-4 in games decided by five points or fewer last season.
• Have trailed at halftime in 14 of its 20 games this season and are 6-8 in those contests...are being outscored 750-663 and shooting 41.3 in the first half compared to the second when the Dons are outscoring the opponent 851-753 and shooting 47.7 percent from the floor after intermission.
• Sophomore point guard Devin Watson ranks second in the WCC and 25th nationally in scoring average at 20.1 ppg..he has been in double-figures in 19 of 20 games this season including 11 games of at least 20-points...he also is the fourth-highest scoring sophomore in the nation, tied with Desean Murray of Prebyterian.
• Senior guard Tim Derksen is averaging 15.4 ppg and 6.1 boards a game...he ranks ninth in the WCC in scoring, 10th in rebounding and eighth in three-point field goal percentage (42.5)...one of two players along with Kyle Wiltjer of Gonzaga to rank in WCC's top-10 in scoring, rebounding the three-point percentage.
• The duo of Watson and Derksen is averaging 35.4 ppg (708 total) and account for 46.0 percent of USF's season point total (708 of 1538)...they are the second-highest scoring tandem in the WCC.
• Junior Ronnie Boyce has scored in double figures in nine of 10 WCC games and is averaging 17.0 ppg in conference play.
• With 123 wins in seven-plus seasons on the Hilltop, Rex Walters is ranks fifth on USF's all-time career win list among coaches...he has coached 244 games, which ranks third all-time behind only Jim Brovelli (286) and Phil Mathews (262).
• Return home Tuesday night for a non-conference game against Menlo College.

Dons' Notebook

The Record
At 11-9, USF is two games ahead of its pace of last season, when the Dons were 9-11 at the 20-game mark. The Dons then dropped five straigt to fall to 9-16. At 5-5 in the WCC, the Dons are one game ahead of last year's conference pace when USF was 4-6 after 10 conference games.

The Road Record
USF 4-4 on the road this season with wins at Illinois-Chicago, San Diego, Santa Clara and Portland. The Dons are 17-10 in their last 17 WCC road game dating back to the 2012-13 season.

The Lineups
The quintet of Devin Watson-Ronnie Boyce-Tim Derksen-Uche Ofoegbu and Dont'e Reynolds has been intact for four consecutive games and seven total of the season, giving the Dons four players no taller than 6-foot-4 in the starting five. USF is averaging 88.3 points per game (618 total) in Boyce's seven starts this season. A total of eight players have drawn starts this season with Devin Watson, Tim Derksen and Dont'e Reynolds holding their sports of all 20 games. Nate Renfro (10), Chase Foster (11), Ronnie Boyce (7) and Montray Clemons (1) have also earned starts this season.

The Comebacks
USF has erased sizeable deficits in three of its five conference wins this season. Against Pacific, the Dons rallied from a 19-point deficit (43-24; 3:35 1st) to post a 89-76 victory over the Tigers. On New Year's Eve, USF rallied from a 15-point, 81-66 deficit to defeat Portland, 107-95. Last Thursday at Santa Clara, the Dons spotted the Broncos a 13-2 lead out out of the gates and trailed by as many as 15 points (26-11) before rallying for a 74-61 victory. USF has faced deficits of at least 10 points in 11 of 20 games this season, including seven of 10 conference games

The Wins and Losses
Of the 11 victories, five have been by a combined total of 20 points (78-75 at Illinois-Chicago; 58-57 vs. UC Riverside; 65-61 CSUN; 96-93 vs. Coppin State; 73-65 at San Diego) while six others have been by a combined total of 96 points (80-54 vs. Rice; 67-47 vs. Delaware State; 89-76 vs. Pacific; 107-95 vs. Portland; 74-61 at Santa Clara; 87-76 at Portland). USF erased a 19-point deficit to defeat Pacific and rallied from 15 down to defeat both Portland and Santa Clara. The Dons never led in losses to Fresno State, UC Santa Barbara, Montana, Saint Mary's or Pepperdine and led for only :32 seconds in a loss to Eastern Washington. USF squandered a 16-point lead with 8:49 left to play before falling to Gonzaga, 102-94 in overtime and dropped games to BYU and LMU when those two teams combined to make 27 three-pointers. 

Non-Conference vs. Conference Opponents
In 10 non-conference games this season, USF averaged 70.3 points and shot 43.7 percent from the floor, including 32.2 percent from distance. In 10 WCC games, the Dons are averaging 83.5 ppg and shooting 45.3 from the floor, including 41.6 percent from beyond the arc. USF allowed just 69.6 ppg to its non-conference foes but are yielding 83.6 ppg in conference action.

The Half of It
USF has trailed at haftime in 14 of 20 games and is 6-8 in those contests. The Dons have been outscored 750-663 while shooting 41.3 from the floor over the first 20 minutes of games this season compared to after intermission when USF is outscoring the opposition 851-753 and shooting 47.7 percent from the floor.

The Scoreboard
USF is averaging 87.0 points (783 total) over its last nine games, boosting the team's scoring average to 76.9, which ranks fifth in the WCC. The Dons have scored 90 or more points three times in the last eight games. USF's 107-95 win over Portland marked the first time the Dons had scored a 100 points in a game since they defeated the Pilots, 104-70 on Jan. 12, 2012. It was also the Dons highest scoring output since tallying a school record 129 points against Holy Names on Jan. 2, 2010.

Dons Defensively
After allowing its six previous opponents an average of 91.5 points per game, USF has limited Santa Clara (61) and Portland (76) to just 68.5 ppg (137 total). The 61 points scored by Santa Clara was the lowest output by an opponent since CSUN also managed just 61 points against the Dons. USF has allowed 80 or more points eight times this season, including a season-high of 102 against Gonzaga (OT) and BYU. The 102 points scored by Gonzaga and BYU were the most points USF has allowed since suffering a 104-65 loss at Arizona State on Nov. 20, 2009 and were the most scored by a WCC opponent since Feb. 23, 1995, when Gonzaga defeated the Dons, 106-67 in Spokane. The Dons have allowed 76.6 ppg this season, which ranks ninth in the WCC. Opponents are shooting 43.0 percent from the field which ranks seventh in the WCC.

From the Floor
USF is shooting 44.5 from the floor on the season, which ranks fifth in the WCC. The Dons have shot 50 percent of better in four games this season (50.8 vs. Rice; 55.8 vs. Montana; 55.0 vs. Coppin State; 58.3 vs. Portland). Junior Uche Ofoegbu ranks ninth in the WCC in field goal percentage at 53.2.

Toeing the Line
After going 29-of-49 from the line in losses to Loyola Marymount (16-for-28) and Pepperdine (13-for-21), the Dons have knocked down 41-of-50 (82.0) of their free throw attempts over the last two games. USF ranks seventh in the WCC in free throw percentage at 69.4, which is still an improvement from last year's mark of 60.5 at the same point of the season. Devin Watson (77.9) ranks ninth among all WCC players in free throw percentage. Last season, USF ranked last in the WCC with a 62.9 free throw percentage, which was the lowest mark since the 1985-86 season (62.4).

From Distance
USF has made 87 three-pointers in its last nine games and is shooting 42.4 percent (87-for-205) from distance during that stretch. The 14 threes against Gonzaga were the most in a single game since the Dons drilled a school-record 17 treys against Idaho State in 2013-14. The Dons are now shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range on the year, which ranks fifth in the WCC. Tim Derksen ranks eighth in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at 42.5 while Devin Watson ranks seventh in 3's made per game (2.3).

Defending the Three
USF's last five opponents BYU (15-for-30), LMU (12-for-27), Pepperdine (10-for-18); Santa Clara (8-for-24) and Portland (13-for-34) are a combined 58-for-133 (43.6) from distance. The Dons have allowed 10 or more three-pointers in 10 games this season and rank 10th in the WCC in three-point field goal defense at 37.9 percent.

Board Work
USF has outrebounded 10 of its first 20 opponents and is +60 in the rebound column on the year. The Dons are averaging 38.5 boards a game, which ranks third in the WCC and are fourth in rebound margin (+3.0). USF ranks third in the WCC in offensive rebounds per game at 12.3. Three players - Dont'e Reynolds (7.0), Tim Derksen (6.1) and Uche Ofoegbu (4.3) - are averaging at least 4.0 boards per game. Derksen's 14 rebounds vs. Pacific were the most by a USF player since Kruize Pinkins also pulled down 14 boards last season vs. Eastern Washington. Reynolds, who pulle down a career high 13 boards at Portland, ranks seventh in the WCC in rebounding while Derksen is 10th.

Assists, Turnovers and Steals
USF is averaging 13.3 turnovers a game (267 total), compared to the opponents at 11.2 per game. USF ranks ninth in the WCC in turnover margin (-2.10) and ninth assist-turnover ratio (1.0). Of the Dons 524 total field goals, 255 (48.6 percent) have come via an assist. USF is also averaging 5.1 steals a game to rank fifth in the WCC.

The Bench
USF's reserves are averaging 18.0 ppg this season (361 total), compared to the opponent's at 23.7 (474). The bench scored a season-high 37 points against Rice and has scored 20 or more points in seven games this season.

High Scoring Tandem
Devin Watson and senior Tim Derksen has combined to average 35.4 ppg (708 total) points a game this season to rank as the WCC's second-highest scoring tandem behind Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer and Damontas Sabonis, who are averaging 39.5 per outing (830 total). BYU's high-scoring duo of Chase Fischer and Kyle Collinsworth are averaging 35.4 ppg (723). Either Watson or Derksen have led the team in scoring 16 of 20 games this season and have accounted for 46.7 percent (708 of 1538) of USF's total point production. Watson has scored 20 or more points in 11 games this season, including a pair of 30-point games,  while Derksen has five 20-point contests.

Watson Ranks 25th Nationally in Scoring
Sophomore point guard Devin Watson is averaging 20.1 points a game, which ranks second in the WCC and 25th nationally among all Division I players. He is the fourth-highest scoring sophomore in the nation  along with Desean Murray of Presbyterian. Both players trail fellow sophs Pascal Siakam (22.1) of New Mexico State, Sacred Heart's Cane Broome (21.9) and Duke's Grayson Allen (20.3). The last USF player to win a conference scoring title was Dior Lowhorn who averaged 20.1 pgg in 2008-09. Watson has been in double-figures in 19 of 20 games this season, including 11 games of at least 20 points (24 at Fresno State; 27 vs. UC Riverside; 25 vs. Eastern Washington; 31 vs. Coppin State; 23 vs. Pacific; 22 vs. Portland; 33 vs. Gonzaga; 25 at BYU; 20 LMU; 21 vs. Pepperdine; 22 at Santa Clara). If the season ended today, Watson's scoring average would rank 13th on USF's all-time single-season charts.

Sharing the Wealth
USF had a season-high six players score in double-figures Thursday night at Portland. The Dons are 6-2 this season when at least four players score in double figures, with the only losses coming against Gonzaga and BYU.

RBIII Heating Up
Junior Ronnie Boyce III has scored in double figures in nine of 10 conference games and is averaging 17.0 ppg against WCC foes this season. He has scored 20 or more points in four of his last nine games, including a career-high 25 points vs. Pepperdine. Boyce scored in double figures in each of the first two games of the season vs. Illinois-Chicago (13) and Rice (11), but scored just six points over his five appearances before this recent stretch. He made his first career start against Pacific on Dec. 23.

No Rest for the Weary
Devin Watson (4th; 34.8) and Tim Derksen (10th; 31.6) both rank in the top-10 among all WCC players in minutes played. Derksen has logged 2,993 minutes over his career, which ranks ninth on USF's all-time career list. At his present rate, Derksen will move into USF's top-5 for minutes played at year's end.

Rare Combination
Tim Derksen and Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer are the only two players in the WCC to rank in the top-10 among the conference leaders in scoring, rebounding and three-point percentage. Derksen ranks ninth in scoring (15.4), 10th in rebounding (6.1) and eighth in three-point percentage (42.5). Wiltjer ranks first (22.3), eighth (6.9) and seventh (44.6) in the same categories.

Derksen Joins 1,000-Point Club
With 1,227 career points, senior Tim Derksen ranks 21st on USF's all-time scoring list and needs 10 more points to tie Ali Thomas (1997-01) for 20th all-time. Here's a look at where Derksen ranks on USF's all-time scoring list...

USF's Career Scoring Leaders
16.    Marlon Redmond (1973-77)    1,308
17.    Angelo Caloiaro (2008-12)    1,271
18.    Dennis Black (1966-68)    1,269
19.    Cole Dickerson (2010-14)    1,252
20.    Ali Thomas (1997-01)    1,237
21.    Tim Derksen (2012-Present)    1,227

Derksen on USF's 3-Point Charts
Tim Derksen is shooting 42.5 percent (31-for-73) from distance this season -- eighth-best among all WCC players.  Derksen is now shooting 40.1 percent (128-for-319) from long distance for his career, which ranks sixth on USF's all-time career list. Shawn Sykes (1988-90) is USF's all-time leader in 3-point percentage at 44.4 (98-for-218).

USF's Career Three-Point Percentage Leaders
1.    Shawn Sykes (1988-90)    98-218    .444
2.    Danny Cavic (2005-08)    130-295    .440
3,    Avry Holmes (2012-14)    98-223    .439
4.    Kevin Weeks (1990-92)    60-142    .423
5.    Joel DeBortoli (1987-90)    60-142    .423
6.    Tim Derksen (2012-    128-319    .401
7.    Gerald Walker (1992-96)    142-359    .395
8.    Shamell Stallworth (1999    153-389    .393
9.    Darrell Tucker (1999-03)    116-301    .385
10.    Tim Owens (1990-92)    65-170    .382

Last Time Out 
Ronnie Boyce's 19 points led a balanced USF scoring sheet which saw six players score in double figures as the Dons defeated Portland, 87-76 Thursday night at the Chiles Center. Tim Derksen finished with 16, Uche Ofoegbu and Devin Watson had 13, Dont'e Reynolds added 12 while Chase Foster chipped in with 10. Reynolds also pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds to notch his third double-double of the season and had three blocks. USF never trailed in the game and survived 13 three-pointers from the Pilots. USF led 51-45 at intermission and the Dons scored six straight points after the break to open a 57-45 lead. USF led by as many as 14 points in the second half, the last time at 66-52 following a pair of Derksen free throws at the 10:23 mark. A 19-5 Portland run whittled the Dons lead down to five at 76-71 with 3:41 remaining. The Dons were still hanging onto a five-point lead at 79-74 when Ofoegbu was fouled by Bryce Pressley after converting a dribble drive, reverse layup with 1:32 left. He completed the three-point play to boost the lead back to eight with 1:31 remaining. Portland could get no closer than seven points before the Dons put the game away on the line to notch their third conference road win of the season.