Opening Tip
USF (11-5, 1-2 WCC) plays host to the 19th-ranked Saint Mary's College Gaels (13-4, 3-0 WCC) on Saturday night in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. The Dons have lost two straight following a 95-80 setback to No. 5 Gonzaga on Thursday night while the Gaels turned back BYU, 81-68 in Moraga. Saturday's game will be televised locally on CSNBA with Glen Kuiper and former USF head coach Dan Belluomini calling the action.

The Dandy Dons

• Now 11-5 overall and 1-2 in the WCC after dropping a 95-90 decision to No. 5 Gonzaga on Thursday night...freshman Jordan Ratinho scored a career-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting to pace the Dons offense.
• Are off to its best 16-game start since the 1999-2000 team was 13-3 after 16 games...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.
• Dons' record under Kyle Smith also marks the best start by a USF first-year coach since Pete Barry's 1980-81 USF team got off to a 14-2 start.
• With back-to-back losses to Santa Clara and Gonzaga, have lost two straight games for the first time this season.
• Faced No. 5 Gonzaga on Thursday and will meet No. 19 Saint Mary's on Saturday...marks the first time since the 1993-94 season USF has faced AP-ranked teams in consecutive games (No. 5 Kentucky/No. 10 Purdue) and only the second-time ever the Dons have faced back-to-back challenges from WCC opponents ranked in the top-25 (No. 20 Loyola Marymount; Feb. 4 and 9, 1990).
• Have lost 21 of 23 and 26 out of the last 29 games vs. Saint Mary's dating back to 2002-03 season.
• USF is 2-12 in its last 14 games vs. ranked opponents dating back to the 2008-09 season...both wins came at the expense of Gonzaga in 2010 (No. 11; 81-77 OT) and 2012 (No. 24; 66-65) 
• Now rank fourth in the WCC in scoring at 77.4 points per game...averaging 69.2 ppg (346 total) over last five contests after scoring 81.1 (893 total) over the first 11 games.
• Have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in eight games this season...had six such shooting games all of last year...rank third in the WCC in field goal pct. at 48.0.
• Lead the WCC and are tied for 14th nationally in three's made per game (10.0)...have made 10 or more three's in eight games this season, including a school-record 18 against Eastern Washington and 16 vs. Utah...have slipped to third in three-point percentage at 39.1 after shooting 28.8 (34-for-118) from distance over last five games.
• Four players - Charles Minlend (31), Ronnie Boyce (30), Jordan Ratinho (28) and Chase Foster (24) -- have made 20+ threes this season while a total of seven players have made 10 or more shots from distance.
• Are 6-2 at home this season with the only blemishes coming against Portland State and Gonzaga.
• Rank 10th in the WCC in free throw percentage at 64.9 percent...shooting 62.9 (95-for-151) from the line over the last eight games.
• USF's reserves have combined to score 289 points over the last seven games...Dons' bench has outscored the opponents 544-289 (+255) over the last 15 games.
• Senior Ronnie Boyce has scored 20 or more points five times this season and 11 times in his career...he leads the Dons in scoring with a 15.8 per game average.
• With an 11.1 ppg scoring average, Charles Minlend ranks as the second-high scoring freshman in the WCC. behind BYU's TJ Haws (12.9).
• Play at BYU on Thursday before returning home for a date with Pacific on Jan. 14.

Worth Watching

• USF head coach Kyle Smith served on Randy Bennett's St. Mary's coaching staff for nine seasons (2001-10) prior to taking the head coaching job at Columbia.
• USF associate head coach Todd Golden played collegiately at Saint Mary's, where he helped the Gaels to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. As a senior point guard, he ranked second in the nation with a 3.68 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• The Dons have dropped 21 of the last 22 games against Saint Mary's dating back the 2002-03 season.
• Saturday's game marks the first time USF will have faced the Gaels as a nationally-ranked team.
• It's also the second of back-to-back games for USF against a nationally-ranked opponent, marking the first time since the 1992-93 season the Dons have faced AP-ranked opponents in consecutive games (No. 5 Kentucky / No. 10 Purdue).

Scouting Report

About Saint Mary's
Improved to 13-1 on the year and are 3-0 in the WCC after Thursday night's 81-68 win over BYU…ranked 19th nationally in this week's AP poll…only setback on the year came at home to Texas-Arlington, 66-51 on Dec. 8…allowing just 58.6 points per game which ranks first in the WCC and third nationally…lead the conference in field goal percentage (50.5) and three-point percentage (39.5)…junior Jock Landale leads the Gaels in scoring averaging 18.2 ppg, which ranks fourth in the WCC…he is also the WCC's top rebounder at 9.6 per game and ranks second in field goal percentage (65.6)…Calvin Hermanson is scoring at a 11.9 point per game clip…senior Joe Rahon, who leads the WCC in assists at 6.1 per game, orchestrates one of the WCC's most efficient offenses...Emmett Naar is averaging 5.9 assists and ranks third in three-point field goal percentage (47.4)…under the direction of Randy Bennett, who is in his 16th season in Moraga…the three-time WCC Coach of the Year has guided the Gaels to 10 postseason appearances (5 NCAA; 5 NIT) during his tenure…SMC has averaged 26 wins a season over last six years and has chocked up a 77.1 winning percentage against WCC foes over last eight campaigns…Gaels have won/shared three WCC regular season titles in last six seasons.

Series History with Saint Mary's
In a series that dates back to the 1930-31 season, USF leads the all-time series with Saint Mary's, 99-77. However, the Gaels have won 21 of the last 23 and 26 of the last 29 games in the series dating back to the 2002-03 season, including a 74-52 victory in Moraga earlier this season. Prior to the Gaels recent run of success, USF won seven straight games in the series from 1998-99 to 2001-02. USF's last win in the series came on Feb. 20, 2014 in San Francisco, 73-62, which snapped the Gaels 17-game winning streak in the series. The two schools have also met five times in WCC Tournament play, with the Gaels holding a 4-1 advantage.

Last Year's Meetings With the Gaels 
USF dropped a 74-52 decision to the Gaels in the West Coast Conference opener for both schools on Dec. 21 in McKeon Pavilion. Uche Ofoegbu led all USF scorers with 13 points, all which came in the first half, while Ronnie Boyce III came off the bench to chip in 10. USF's two leading scorers, Devin Watson and Tim Derksen, who came into the game averaging 35 points a game, combined for just 10 points on 3-of-25 shooting from the floor. The Gaels made 10-of-23 of their shots from distance and shot 50 percent from the field for the game. USF shot a season-low 28.3 percent (17-of-60) for the game. Evan Fitzner scored a game-high 20 points for Saint Mary's.

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 on Feb. 27, 2016. 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.  The Gaels built a nine-point, 40-31 lead at the half and scored the first eight points of the second period to open a 48-31 lead. 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.

Last Time Out: Gonzaga 95, USF 80 
The Zags looked every bit of a team that has national championship aspirations in handing the Dons a 95-80 setback on the Hilltop on Thursday night. Nigel Goss-Williams scored a game-high 36 points while Jordan Mathews finished with 16. Killian Tillie (12) and Przernek Karnowski were also in double figures for the Zags which remained undefeated on the season at 15-0 (3-0 WCC).Freshman Jordan Ratinho scored a career high 20 points while Nate Renfro and Ronnie Boyce each added 13 for the Dons (11-5, 1-2 WCC). Gonzaga shot 61 percent from the field while USF was a respectable 46.9 percent from the floor. The Dons had no answer for Goss-Williams, however, as the senior made 12-of-15 shots from the floor, including 3-of-4 from long distance, and made all nine of his free throws for a career-high 36 points. He also grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double. Gonzaga led by as many as 18 points in the first half at but a Ratinho three-pointer just before the horn trimmed the lead to 46-36 at the break. Any momentum the Dons gained was quickly squelched by the Zags on their first two possessions of the second half. The Dons managed to get back to within 10 points at 55-45 following a Boyce layup, but could get no closer as the Zags extended their winning streak to 15 games to open the season.

Fan Guide

Ticket Information
Reserved and general admission tickets for USF's games against Saint Mary's (Jan. 7), along with all other 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