Game at a Glance
San Francisco Dons (12-7, 2-4 WCC) vs. Portland Pilots (9-8, 2-3 WCC)
Thursday,  Jan. 19, 2017 • 7:00 p.m.
War Memorial at the Sobrato Center • San Francisco, Calif.
Series Record: USF 56-27
Last Meeting: Jan. 28, 2016 (USF 87-76)
Video Stream: TheW.tv (George Devine, Play-by-Play; Ben Braun, Analyst) | Twitter Live
Radio: 95.7 FM The GAME (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF) | Purchase Tickets

Opening Tip
USF (12-7, 2-4 WCC) plays host to the Portland Pilots (9-8, 2-3 WCC) Thursday night on the Hilltop. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. The Dons snapped a four-game losing streak with a 72-51 win over Pacific last Saturday night while the Pilots were swept at home last week by Saint Mary's (74-33) and Loyola Marymount (79-78). Thursday's game will be video streamed on TheW.tv with George Devine and Ben Braun calling the action. It will also be broadcast on 95.7 FM The GAME with Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli mic-side.

The Dandy Dons

• Improved to 12-7 overall and 2-4 in the WCC with a 72-51 win over Pacific last Saturday night...win snapped the Dons' four-game losing streak.
• Are two games ahead of last year's pace when the Dons were 10-9 after 19 games on its way to a 11-9 record at the 20-game mark...USF's 10 non-conference wins were the most since 2011-12 (10) and marked the fourth time since 1985-86 the Dons had won at least 10 non-conference games.
• Are 7-3 at home this season with losses coming against Portland State, No. 5 Gonzaga and No. 19 Saint Mary's.
• Now rank third in the WCC in scoring at 75.7 points per game...averaging 69.5 ppg in six WCC games after averaging 78.5 in 13 non-conference games.
• Rank third in the WCC in field goal percentage at 47.3...shot 51.9 percent from the floor against Pacific, marking the ninth time this season the Dons have made at least half of their shots from the field...shot 50 percent or better in just six games last year.
• Made 14-of-34 three-pointers against Pacific...lead the WCC and rank 19th nationally in three's made per game (9.7)...have made 10 or more three's in nine games this season, including a school-record 18 against Eastern Washington and 16 vs. Utah.
• Rank fifth in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at 37.6...were shooting 43.3 percent from long distance 11 games into the season, but have since gone 59-for-201 (29.3) from distance over last eight games.
• Four players - Charles Minlend (34), Jordan Ratinho (33), Ronnie Boyce (31) and Chase Foster (29) -- have made 20+ threes this season while a total of seven players have made 10 or more shots from distance...Ratinho ranks sixth in the WCC in 3-PT FG percentage at 46.5.
• Rank 10th in the WCC in free throw percentage at 63.6 percent...shooting 61.0 (113-for-185) from the line over the last 11 games.
• USF's reserves have combined to score 387 points over the last 10 games (38.7) and have outscored the opponent's bench 642-341 (+301) over the last 18 games.
• Top two scorers last two games have been freshmen...Remu Raitanen (16) and Jimbo Lull (12) took team-high honors at BYU while Charles Minlend (16) and Jordan Ratinho (12) were at the top of the charts vs. Pacific...freshmen or sophomores have accounted for 122 of USF's 147 total points in the last two games.
• With an 10.7 ppg scoring average, Charles Minlend ranks as the second-highest scoring freshman in the WCC. behind BYU's TJ Haws (13.5)...Minlend has 12 double-figure scoring games this season, topped off by a career-best 20-point effort in the WCC opener vs. San Diego.
• Play the first of three consecutive road games Saturday night in San Diego with games on the horizon next week at Saint Mary's and Pacific.

Worth Watching

• Portland's backcourt of Alec Wintering and Jazz Johnson is one of the WCC's best…they form the fifth-highest scoring backcourt in the nation and ninth-highest overall scoring tandem in the country.
• The Dons broke out of their shooting slump last Saturday vs. Pacific, finishing at 51.9 percent for the game, including 14-of-34 from distance.
• USF has had the upper hand in the series, winning 26 of 33 games against the Pilots dating back to the 2000-01 season.
• USF has employed a starting lineup consisting of two freshmen (Charles Minlend and Jordan Ratinho) and three sophomores (Matt McCarthy, Nate Renfro and Mladen Djordjevic) the last three games…a total of nine players have drawn starts this season.
• Portland head coach Terry Porter and USF legend Bill Cartwright squared off against each other in the 1992 NBA Finals, with Cartwright's Chicago Bulls defeating the Portland Trailblazers, 4-2. Cartwright later served as Porter's assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns during the 2008-09 season.

Scouting Report

About Portland
Bring a 9-8 overall record and a 2-3 WCC mark into Thursday night's game on the Hilltop…were swept at home last week by Saint Mary's (74-33) and Loyola Marymount (79-78)…scored an impressive early season win over Oregon State on Dec. 18…led by the talented backcourt of Alec Wintering and Jazz Johnson…Wintering is the WCC's third-leading scorer averaging 20.1 points a game and he also leads the conference in assists (2.1) and ranks second in steals (2.0)…Johnson is tied for fifth among WCC scoring leaders with a 17.3 average…he leads the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at 48.8 (42-for-86)…Wintering and Johnson form the nation's fifth-highest scoring backcourt and ninth-highest scoring tandem in the country…under the direction of first-year head coach Terry Porter, a 16-year NBA veteran who played most of his career with the Portland Trailblazers…a two-time all-star, Porter scored 15,586 points in his career which included two trips to the NBA Finals.

USF-Portland Series History
In a series that dates back to the 1952-53 season, USF leads the all-time series with Portland, 56-27. USF swept last year's season series, winning 107-95 in the City on Dec. 31 and 87-76 in Portland on Jan. 28. The Dons are 26-7 vs. the Pilots dating back to the 2000-01 season and have won 11 out of the last 13 in the series. The Dons have also won five straight games over Portland on The Bluff dating back to its last loss on Jan. 15, 2009 (78-60).

Last Year's Meetings With Portland 
Trailing by 15 points at 81-66 midway through the second half, USF outscored Portland 41-14 over the last 12:59 of the game to earn the 12-point victory on New Year's Eve in San Francisco. Five Dons scored in double figures, led by senior guard Tim Derksen's career high 27 points. Devin Watson finished with 22, Ronnie Boyce added 15 and Nate Renfro came off the bench to score a season high 13 points. Junior Dont'e Reynolds posted his second double-double of the season, scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. Alec Wintering scored a game high 31 points for Portland while Jazz Johnson came off the bench to score 22. Wintering was 15-of15 from the line while Johnson nailed four three-pointers. Derksen scored 22 of his 27 points after intermission, including 15 in the decisive 41-14 run. After shooting 60.6 percent from the field in the first half, Portland managed to shoot just 26.5 percent and score 33 points in the second frame.

In the return game in Portland on Jan. 28, 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 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. A 19-5 Portland run in the second half 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.

Last Time Out: USF 72, Pacific 51 
The Dons jumped on the Tigers early and raced out to a 14-2 lead at the 14:58 mark of the first half and posted a wire-to-wire win over Pacific to snap a four-game losing streak. USF regained its early season form from beyond the three-point line, nailing 14-of-34 three-point attempts, including 10 in the first half as the Dons opened up a 43-18 lead at intermission. The Dons shot 51.9 percent from the field on the night. Charles Minlend scored a game high 16 points while Jordan Ratinho added 12 and Chase Foster 10 to lead the Dons to their 12th win of the season.The Dons limited the Tigers to just 33.3 percent shooting on the night and held Pacific to its second-lowest scoring output of the season.

Fan Guide

Ticket Information
Reserved and general admission tickets for remaining WCC home games, are available for purchase on-line at USFDons.com/tickets or by calling (415) 422-2USF (2873).

Free Parking Information
Parking is available free of charge two hours prior to tip-off until one hour after the conclusion of the game in any campus lot, with the exception of designated green parking spots at the top of Hayes-Healy garage on Golden Gate Avenue adjacent to the gymnasium. Campus parking lots of choice include the lot at the Koret Center, located at the corner of Turk and Parker and the Hayes-Healy underground garage, located on Golden Gate Ave. just past the Sobrato Center. Due to expected large turnouts for both games, fans are encouraged to arrive early. View campus parking map here.
 
The Hilltop Club Level
Fans 21 and older can enjoy beer, wine, chips, and soda throughout the season in the Hilltop Club Level. Located in the upper mezzanine level on the south side of War Memorial at The Sobrato Center, The Hilltop Club Level is open one hour before tip-off and will remain accessible throughout the game. Admission to the The Hilltop Club is priced at $10 per game. Drink tickets are extra and the Club Admission does not include a game ticket.