Game 27: USF (16-10, 7-8 WCC) vs. Loyola Marymount (9-18, 5-11 WCC)
Saturday, Feb. 20 | 2 p.m. | War Memorial at the Sobrato Center (4,268)
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The Dons look to extend the streak against Loyola Marymount to seven straight, as USF welcomes the Lions to the Hilltop for USF's Play4Kay game. The first 400 fans in attendance receive a FREE pink t-shirt to celebrate at the Dons' pink game. As always, USF faculty, staff and studens, and youth 12 and under can enter FREE!
By the Numbers (NCAA rank in parentheses)
• When the Dons have the ball •USF Scoring Offense - 71.7 (57) | Loyola Marymount Scoring Defense - 71.7 (307)
USF Field Goal Pct. - .432 (49) | Loyola Marymount FG Pct. Defense - .394 (177)
USF 3FG Pct. - .366 (18) | Loyola Marymount 3FG Pct. Defense - .320 (229)
USF Free Throw Pct. - .754 (17)
• When the Lions have the ball •Loyola Marymount Scoring Offense - 69.2 (85) | USF Scoring Defense - 65.9 (222)
Loyola Marymount Field Goal Pct. - .381 (244) | USF FG Pct. Defense - .389 (150)
Loyola Marymount 3FG Pct. - .312 (171) | USF 3FG Pct. Defense - .353 (330)
Loyola Marymount Free Throw Pct. - .704 (133)
Comparison (USF/LMU):Scoring Margin:
+5.8/-3.4
Rebounds/Game:
38.2/39.5
Assists/Game:
15.8/14.7
Turnovers/Game:
17.5/17.1
Assist/Turnover Ratio:
0.9/0.9
Steals/Game:
8.7/8.9
Blocks/Game:
2.9/4.4
Between the Baselines
The collaborative nature of the USF offense has been a focus point on the season, and Dons have coupled solid shooting with 15.8 assists per game, good for 34th in the nation. The squad ranks in the top three in the league in shooting percentages, coming in nationally at 17th in free throw percentage (.754), 19th in 3-point field goal percentage (.366) and 49th in field goal percentage (.432).
The Dons are led by reigning WCC Player of the Week
Taylor Proctor's 17.9 points on .481 shooting, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
Zhane Dikes adds 13.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals, and
Rachel Howard contributes 11.6 points on .393 shooting from beyond the arc and 2.6 assists a night.
Know the Foe
Loyola Marymount enters Saturday's pink game sporting a 9-18 record, and a 5-11 mark in league action. The Lions have a quartet of double-digit scorers on the roster, paced by Sophie Taylor's 12.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Freshman Cheyanne Wallace adds 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and a WCC-leading 2.0 blocks per night, and Deanna Johnson and Leslie Lopez-Wood round out the foursome.
Series Snippits
The Dons have the 37-33 advantage in the all-time series against the Lions,earning wins in the last six meetings between the two. In the last game in the series, USF outlasted Loyola Marymount in overtime, 75-73, paced by 21 points five rebounds and four steals for
Zhane Dikes.
Last Time Out
The San Francisco women's basketball team dominated the visiting Pepperdine Waves wire-to-wire in the 99-75 victory on Thursday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
Junior
Rachel Howard took center stage in the career-high outing for the Berkeley, Calif., native after scoring 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting and a 6-of-7 effort from 3-point range. Howard was one of five players to hit double figures during a dominant offensive display, with
Claudia Price scoring a career-high 18 points and
Anna Seilund adding 15 points in the victory. Howard, Price, and Seilund combined to hit 10 of the Dons' 11 threes on the evening as the Waves' defense struggled to keep up.
Proctor Picks Up Player of the Week
Taylor Proctor earned WCC Player of the Week honors for the first time of the season, and third occasion in her career. She averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks as the Dons tussled with the league's top two teams in the conference standings. The squad earned a 1-1 split on the weekend while coming within one possession of upsetting league-leaders BYU.
At BYU, the 6-0 forward finished with 27 points on .438 shooting and a 10-of-11 effort from the line as the Dons were nipped at the buzzer after Lexi Eaton Rydalch's near half-court heave found its mark as time expired. Two days later at San Diego, the Colorado Springs, Colo., native added a team-high 12 points and eight rebounds as USF defeated the Toreros, 59-54. The win at the Jenny Craig Pavilion was USF's first victory at San Diego since the 2004 season.
Along with conference designation, the NCAA recognized her as one of the nation's top performers of the week in their "Starting 5."
Championship Seeding
Past BYU, the top of the league standings is still in a state of potential flux, with Santa Clara and Saint Mary's each sporting an 11-4 conference mark, and San Diego standing at 11-5.
If the season ended today, the Dons would enter WCC Championship Week in Las Vegas as the No. 6 seed, and face Saint Mary's in the quarterfinal round at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 3. USF would then advance to play the winner of the No. 2 vs. No. 7/10 game, with Santa Clara holding onto second, at the moment.
A Season of Success
The Dons have been on a steady upward trajectory during the Azzi Era, and USF is guaranteed to finish the year with a winning record.
The last time the Dons:Posted back-to-back winning seasons ... 1996-97
Averaged 70 points per game ... 1994-95
Averaged 15 assists a game ... 2000-01
Started the season 9-2 ... 2014-15
Had a seven-game winning streak ... 1996-97
Had a 30-point game performance ... 2011-12
Splash City
Shooting 43.2 percent from the floor, the Dons have seven women over the .500-mark in true shooting percentage, which takes into account field goals, 3-pointers and free throws. As a team, the Dons have a true shooting percentage of 53.6, according to John Hollinger's formula.
Individually,
Taylor Proctor (.582 ts%) and
Raushan Gultekin (.571 ts%) lead the way, followed by
Claudia Price (.592 ts%),
Zhane Dikes (.542 ts%),
Anna Seilund (.529 ts%) and
Rachel Howard (.544 ts%). Albeit a small sample size, in freshman
Jaylin Jones' nine games of action, her true shooting percentage comes in at 98.2 percent, as she had her first misses of the season in USF's game against Santa Clara (4-5 fg, 3-4 3fg, 4-6 ft).
Triple Threat
After a sweltering game against Pepperdine, USF is shooting .366 from long range on the season, good for 18th in the NCAA, and first in the WCC.
Individually,
Rachel Howard (.393/4th),
Taylor Proctor (.387/5th) and
Anna Seilund (.374/7th) all rate in the WCC's top 10 in 3-point percentage, and the Dons are one of three squads with multiple women on the list (BYU, Portland). Howard's tally is good for 50th in the nation.
70 - The Magic Number
The Dons are 13-1 on the season when scoring at least 70 points, with the loss coming at the hands of Utah Valley in a 94-88 overtime game on Nov. 23.
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
USF honors its prolific senior class of
Zhane Dikes and
Taylor Proctor in the last home contest of the year, as the Dons tangle with the Pacific Tigers next Thursday at 7 p.m.
Get Connected
Fans can follow the Dons in a variety of ways:
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- 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
