Highlights and Post-Game Comments

SAN FRANCISCO – Playing his final home game on the Hilltop, senior Tim Derksen matched his career high with 27 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds but USF was on the short end of an 84-72 decision against the Saint Mary's Gaels in War Memorial at The Sobrato Center.
 
With the win, the Gaels (24-4, 15-3 WCC) earn a share of the West Coast Conference regular season championship with Gonzaga, but will be the top-seed in next week's West Coast Conference Championships in Las Vegas by virtue of their two wins over the Zags this season. USF finishes the regular season with a 15-14 overall record and 8-10 in the WCC. 
The Dons will be the fifth-seed at the WCC Championships and will square off against fourth-seed Pepperdine on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. USF and Pepperdine split a pair of games this season, with each winning on the other's home court.
 
Derksen made 11-of-19 shots from the floor, including 5-of-6 three-point attempts, for his third 27-point game of the season. His 11 rebounds earned him his seventh double-double of the season and eighth of his career.
 
Devin Watson (16) and Uche Ofoegbu (14) were the only other Dons to reach double figures on the night.
 
Calvin Hermanson hit 6-of-10 three-point attempts and paced all Gael scorers with 24 points. Emmett Naar and Dane Pineau scored 19 points apiece for Saint Mary's.
 
Saint Mary's, the best shooting team in the WCC, ended the game at 51.8 percent while USF managed to make just 40 percent (28-for-70) of their shots from the floor. The Gaels also made 17-of-18 of their free throw attempts.
 
The Dons had a 40-33 edge on the boards.
 
"They are really efficient offensively – that is their strength," said USF head coach Rex Walters. "It's not overly complicated but they run their system very well and rarely take bad shots.
 
"I thought our guys played really hard but our shot selection is still not where it needs to be. If our guys aren't shooting 45-50 percent from the field, they are either not good shooters or not taking good shots. We have to understand to win a conference championship there has to be great efficiently offensively. Bad shots are either carelessness or selfishness. We'll learn from this and hopefully get better."
 
The two teams combined to make 11 of their first 15 shots from the floor but it was Saint Mary's that held an early 15-11 lead at the first media timeout. The Gaels lead was six at 32-26 when Evan Fitzner and Hermanson connected on back-to-back three balls to boost the lead to 12 at 38-26.
 
USF managed to cut the lead under 10 at halftime at 40-31, but Saint Mary's scored the first eight points of the second half to open a 48-31 three minutes into the second period. The Gaels led by as many as 19 points on three occasions, last at 76-57 with 3:21 left following a layup by Joe Rahon.
 
USF could get no closer than nine down the stretch before falling 84-72. The win is Saint Mary's 21st over the Dons in the last 22 games between the two longtime rivals.
 
Derksen scored 19 of his 27 point after intermission and nailed all five of his three-point attempts in the second half. He left the game to a standing ovation with :25 remaining.
 
"I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world to get to coach him," said Walters. "He is the standard for me in the 10 years I've been coaching as to what a student-athlete is all about – without a doubt and no exceptions. In terms of basketball player, work ethic, student, there's no one better. If someone could give me the formula, we'd be really good. I love coaching him and I already miss him."
 
The Dons will now turn their attention to Pepperdine, a team they defeated just last week in Malibu, 82-72. The Waves took the first meeting between the two schools back on Jan. 16 in San Francisco, 98-84. The third game will take place in an 4-5 game at the WCC Championships next Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
 
"Pepperdine is a skilled and veteran team," said Walters. "They play through their posts and get really good guard play. It will be a battle. They will remember the last game and I'll remember the first game. We'll put together a great game plan and just go out and perform."