Game at a Glance
San Francisco Dons (15-8, 5-5 WCC) vs. Pepperdine Waves (6-16, 2-8 WCC)
Thursday,  Feb. 2, 2017 • 7:00 p.m.
War Memorial at the Sobrato Center • San Francisco, Calif.
Series Record: USF 75-52
Last Meeting: March 5, 2016 (Pepperdine 90-86)
Television: None
Audio / Video Stream: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com

Complete Game Notes (PDF) | Purchase Tickets

Opening Tip
USF (15-8, 5-5 WCC) plays the first of four consecutive home games on Thursday when the Dons play host to the Pepperdine Waves (6-16, 2-8 WCC) beginning at 7:00 p.m. on the Hilltop. The Dons are coming off a 81-60 win Saturday at Pacific while the Waves fell at Gonzaga, 96-49. USF will celebrate Dons of the 70's Night on Thursday by honoring some of its great teams and players.

USF at a Glance

• Improved to 15-8 overall and 5-5 in the WCC after Saturday's 81-60 win at Pacific...are alone in fifth place in the WCC standings, one game behind fourth place Santa Clara and one game ahead of sixth-place San Diego.
• At 15-8, USF is off to its best 23-game start since the 1999-2000 season when the Dons were 17-6 at the same mark of the season...the Dons are also three games ahead of last year's pace when the team was 12-11 at the 23-game mark of the season.
• Meet Pepperdine for the first time this season on Thursday....split last year's season series with the Waves and dropped a 90-86 decision at the WCC Championships...have won eight of the last 10 overall vs. Pepperdine.
• Play the next four games at home where the Dons are 8-3 on the year...Loyola Marymount (Feb. 4), Santa Clara (Feb. 9) and BYU (Feb. 11) follow the Waves to the Hilltop...Dons will play their last four regular season games on the road.
• Have held the last five opponents under 70 points and are allowing just 54.0 ppg (270) total during that stretch...270 points allowed over the last five games are the fewest amount of points USF has allowed in a five-game stretch since holding San Jose State (52), California (50), Monmouth (36), Richmond (60) and Idaho State to a combined 254 points during the 1997-97 season...allowing 67.4 ppg this season after yielding 78.7 ppg a year ago.
• After being held to a season-low 46 points at Saint Mary's, bounced back to score 81 points at Pacific, the team's highest output in a conference game this season...rank third in the WCC in scoring at 73.9 points per game...averaging 67.9 ppg in 10 WCC games after averaging 78.5 in 13 non-conference games.
• Rank third in the WCC in field goal percentage at 47.3...have shot over 50 percent from the floor in 10 games this season after shooting 50 percent or better in just six contests last year...are 9-1 this season when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor with the only loss coming at Eastern Washington.
• Rank second in the WCC in three's made per game (9.5)...have made 218 threes on the year (t-17th NCAA) and have made 10 or more three's in 10 games this season, including a school-record 18 against Eastern Washington and 16 vs. Utah...218 are tied for fourth all-time in school history.
• Rank fourth in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at 37.3...if the season were to end today, the Dons' would rank as the eighth most accurate long distance shooting team in school history.
• Seven players made at least one three-pointer at Pacific...four players - Charles Minlend (39), Jordan Ratinho (38), Ronnie Boyce (36) and Chase Foster (34) -- have made 20+ threes this season while a total of seven players have made 10 or more shots from distance...Ratinho ranks second in the WCC in 3-PT FG percentage at 45.2.
• USF's reserves outscored Pacific's bench 56-11 on Saturday...the Dons bench has combined to score 514 points over the last 14 games (36.7) and have outscored the opponent's bench 795-406 (+489) on the season.
• Have started a lineup consisting of three sophomores (Matt McCarthy, Nate Renfro, Mladen Djordjevic) and two freshmen (Charles Minlend, Jordan Ratinho) in each of the last seven games...of USF's 15-man roster, 13 players are underclassmen...an underclassmen has led/shared team in scoring 10 times this season.
• USF will honor some of its legendary teams and players on Thursday, which has been designated as Dons of the 70's Night...USF will welcome back many players and coaches from a decade of dominance, including Bill Cartwright, James Hardy, Marlon Redmond, Bob Gaillard and Dan Belluomoni.

Scouting Report

About Pepperdine
Now 6-16 overall and 2-8 in the West Coast Conference…coming off a 96-49 loss last Saturday to Gonzaga…were picked to finish fourth in the WCC Preseason Poll but have been decimated by injuries…have lost 64 player games due to injury or illness this season…among the losses include senior point guard Amadi Udenyi (Achilles) and sophomore forward Kameron Ed Edwards (broken jaw)…of the eight active players averaging 10 or more minutes a game, only two saw action last season…feature the WCC's second-leading scorer in senior Lamond Murray Jr. who is averaging 20.4 points a game…also receiving solid contributions from senior forward Chris Reyes who is averaging 14.3 points and ranks in the WCC's top-10 in both rebounding (7.9; 4th) and field goal percentage (53.9; 8th)…senior Jeremy Major recently broke the school's all-time assist record previously held by Mark Wilson…Waves are allowing the most points per game (80.3) of all WCC teams while opponents are shooting 48.1 percent from the field.

USF-Pepperdine Series History
In a series that dates back to the 1955-56 season, USF leads the all-time series with Pepperdine, 75-52. The two schools split last year's regular season meetings, with each winning on the other's homecourt. Pepperdine claimed a 98-84 decision on Jan. 16 in San Francisco but the Dons bounced back to claim a 82-72 victory in Malibu on Feb. 18. The teams met for a third time in the WCC Championships, with the Waves coming out on top, 90-86. The Dons have won eight of 10, 10 out of 13 and 11 of the last 15 meetings with the Waves dating back to the 2009-10 season. The two schools have met eight times in the WCC Championship tournament, with the Pepperdine holding a 7-1 advantage. USF's only win in WCC Tournament action came in the 2011 event when the Dons posted a 76-59 victory in a quarterfinal game.

Last Year's Meetings vs. Pepperdine 
Ronnie Boyce scored a career-high 25 points while Devin Watson added 21 but USF dropped a 98-84 decision to Pepperdine on Jan. 16 in War Memorial at The Sobrato Center. Lamond Murray, Jr. led all Pepperdine scorers with 29 points while Jeremy Major added 20. The win by the Waves snapped a seven-game losing streak to USF dating back to the 2009-10 season. Pepperdine made eight of their first 10 three-point attempts and finished the game shooting 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from distance. The Waves also took advantage of 28 free throws compared to USF, which made just 13-of-21 of its attempts. USF never led in the game and trailed at halftime 51-28, as the Waves shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the first period, including 8-of-12 from distance. Pepperdine's lead was never fewer than 11 points after the 13:52 mark of the first half and the Waves opened up as much as a 31-point lead with 16:51 remaining in the game. The Dons could draw no closer than 12 points with :21 left in the game.

In the second meeting on Feb. 18 in Malibu, Ronnie Boyce matched his career high with 25 points while Devin Watson finished with 21 as USF posted a 82-72 victory. Tim Derksen (18) and Uche Ofoegbu (12) also reached double figures while no other Dons' player scored more than two points. Stacy Davis, who set Pepperdine's career scoring record, led all Wave scorers with 20 points while Jett Raines added 18. The Dons scored first seven points of second half to open a 49-41 lead at the 17:55 mark. USF's lead was two at 68-66 when the Dons seized control of the game with a 12-3 run which boosted the lead to 11 at 80-69 with 1:21 left. Watson keyed the run by nailing two of his four three-pointers in the game's final two and a half minutes. The Dons finished off the Waves at the foul line to win for the fourth consecutive season at Firestone Fieldhouse.

The teams met for a third time at the WCC Championships in Las Vegas. A tightly­ contested, hard­ fought affair ultimately went Pepperdine's way as the Waves came away with a 90­-86 victory. Devin Watson tied his career high with 33 points, while Tim Derksen added 23 and Ronnie Boyce 16 for the Dons. Pepperdine's Jeremy Major made 10-of-12 shots from the floor, including 5-of-6 from distance and matched his career high with 28 points. The Dons knocked down 10­-of­-26 three­-point attempts compared to Pepperdine, which made 9­-of­-18 of its long distance attempts. There were a total of 11 ties and eight lead changes in the game. With USF leading 56-53, the Waves used a run to build a 66­-56 lead with 8:56 remaining and outlasted the Dons down the stretch.

Up Next
USF continues its four-game homestand Saturday night against the Loyola Marymount Lions. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. It's Western Addition Night on the Hilltop, where USF Basketball will celebrate community leaders and residents in one of its resident neighborhoods. Tickets can be purchase on-line at USFDons.com/tickets or by calling (415) 422-2USF.

Fan Guide

Promotions
Thursday's game has been designated as Dons of the 70's Night as USF will pay tribute to its legendary teams and players of the 1970s. Some of the players and coaches expected to be in attendance include three-time All-America selection Bill Cartwright, 2017 USF Hall of Fame inductee James Hardy, Mike Quick, Rod Williams, Bart Bowers, Wallace Bryant, Bob Gaillard, Dan Belluomini along with members of the late Phil Smith's family. The first 500 fans in attendance will be treated to a team photo of the 1976-77 USF Dons, which won their first 29 games of the season and were ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the season. USF legends Bill Cartwright and James Hardy will also sign autographs following the game.

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.
  Tickets are available for USF's Hall of Fame dinner to be held on Feb. 3 at the McLaren Conference Center on campus. Former men's basketball standout James Hardy '78 joins Eduardo Rangel '66 (men's soccer), Patrick McGuigan '06 (baseball), Tami Adkins '93 (women's basketball), and Dr. Sandee Hill (special category) as the 2017 class of inductees into USF's Athletic Hall of Fame. Click here to purchase your tickets today.