USF (13-12, 7-7 WCC) vs. Gonzaga (21-4, 12-2 WCC)
Thursday, Feb. 16 | 7 p.m.
Sobrato Center | San Francisco, Calif.      
Series Record: Gonzaga leads, 38-25
Last Meeting: Jan. 5, 2017 (A), Gonzaga 61-46
Video: TheW.tv (George Devine, PBP)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Complete Game Notes [PDF]
 
Opening Tip
USF (13-12, 7-7 WCC) heads into the home stretch for the first of four consecutive games at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center when they host first-place Gonzaga (21-4, 12-2 WCC) on Thursday with tip-off slated for 7 p.m. The Dons are looking to bounce back from a 73-61 loss at BYU on Saturday and have lost three of their last four coming into the week. Meanwhile, the Zags have won 12 in a row following a 59-58 last-second win over Saint Mary's at home.  
 
The Dons At a Glance...                       
LAST WEEK

• Suffered 74-61 defeat at Santa Clara on Thursday night
• Rachel Howard led all scorers with 26 points and five 3-pointers, but the Dons shot just 36.4 percent from the field
• Santa Clara shot 50 percent on the night and led for the majority of the contest
• Kalyn Simon added 12 points for USF, while the Broncos had five players in double figures, led by Lori Parkinson's 21
• Lost at BYU, 73-61, as the Cougars took a 22-11 lead after the first quarter and never relinquished their lead
• Howard had game-highs of 18 points and five assists, while Hashima Carothers tallied a season-best 12 points

 
WHO'S HOT?
Senior guard Rachel Howard has been the main catalyst of the USF offense recently, leading the team at 21.6 points per game over the last five contests. Over that span, Howard is shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from the perimeter to go along with an 83.3 percent clip from the free throw line. Sophomore Alicia Roufosse and senior Hashima Carothers, meanwhile, have had the shooter's touch of late, shooting a team-best 52.6 percent from the field, while junior Anna Seilund has handed out a team-high 17 assists over the last five games.
 
BEYOND THE ARC
Redshirt junior Kalyn Simon ranks third in the conference with a 41.6 percent clip from the perimeter, while Rachel Howard's 49 triples are the fifth-most in the WCC this year.
 
JUST NOT ENOUGH
The Dons' 42 percent field goal percentage against BYU this past Saturday was their second-best shooting performance in a loss this year. USF was outshot by the Cougars, who couldn't miss en route to a 57 percent day from the field. The Dons previously shot 46 percent in a loss at Saint Mary's on Jan. 7.  
 
TAKE CARE OF THE BALL
The Dons recorded 21 turnovers in each of their losses this past week. Prior to that, USF had gone six games without eclipsing the 20 turnover threshold. The Dons have committed more turnovers than their opponents in each of their last five contests and eight of their last nine, going 4-5 over that span.
 
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
Rachel Howard has been steadily climbing up the USF career scoring list over the course of her senior season. She comes into the week in 14th place all-time with 1,202 points after scoring 18 in a loss at BYU on Saturday. She needs three points to pass Taj Winston (2011-15) for 13th on the list. Howard has also taken over second place in the USF record book with 167 career three-pointers made, trailing Shay Rollins (2005-09), who holds the USF career record with 205 treys.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
After playing four consecutive road games, the Dons will welcome a return to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. USF averages 73.1 points per game at home, where they are 8-2 this season, versus 61.9 points per contest on the road, going 4-10.
 
WHERE THEY STACK UP
At 7-7 in WCC play, USF comes into Thursday's game tied with Santa Clara in fourth place. Meanwhile, Gonzaga maintains sole possession of first place at 12-2 with BYU and Saint Mary's looking up at the Zags, each carrying 10-4 records in WCC action.
 
Scouting Report
 
About Gonzaga
The Zags come into the week holding firmly the top spot in the WCC standings after posting home wins over Loyola Marymount (73-61) and Saint Mary's (59-58) this past week to extend their winning streak to 12 games in a row. Gonzaga snuck by SMC on Saturday behind Laura Stockton's game-winning jumper with nine seconds left. The Zags boast the top defensive unit in the conference, limiting opponents to 56.2 points per game, while leading the WCC in scoring margin (+15.3). Sophomore forward Jill Barta ranks fourth in the WCC at 16.4 points per game and is the only Zag averaging double figures. Senior forward Kiara Kudron has been one of the WCC's most efficient shooters, ranking fourth with a 50.3 percent clip from the field, while also sitting at seventh in rebounding (7.4). Gonzaga was picked to win the conference this season under third-year head coach Lisa Fortier.
      
Series History with Gonzaga
Gonzaga owns a 38-25 lead in the all-time series after taking the most recent meeting, 61-46 in Spokane on Jan. 5. USF's win last year snapped a 21 game losing streak to the Zags that stretched back to the 2006-07 season, but Gonzaga has still won 22 of the last 23 matchups. USF and Gonzaga endured a four-overtime marathon on Feb. 7, 2015 in which the Zags claimed a 91-84 victory. USF's longest winning streak in the series was nine in a row between the 1994-95  and 1997-98 seasons. The Dons won 15 of 17 matchups between 1994-95 and 2001-02. Gonzaga won the first-ever meeting, 57-36, in 1987-88. USF is 15-14 against the Zags all-time at home.
 
Last Time They Met
The USF women's basketball team suffered its first conference loss of the year as the Dons fell to Gonzaga, 61-46, on Jan. 5 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Rachel Howard and Nia Alexander led the Dons with nine points apiece, while Michaela Rakova narrowly missed out on her third consecutive double-double after registering eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. Neither team necessarily sparkled offensively on the night with USF shooting 32.8 percent compared to Gonzaga's 33.9 percent clip. However, Gonzaga went 15-for-23 from the free throw line, while USF had just five attempts, connecting on four of them. Both sides came out slow in the second half, but USF was able to hold off Gonzaga until Emma Stach connected on back-to-back threes that put Gonzaga up 32-27 with 4:25 left in the third quarter and gave the Zags their first lead of the game. Gonzaga proceeded to go on a 12-2 run from which USF never recovered. The Dons struggled to find a groove in the fourth quarter, going without a bucket until Rakova hit a jumper at the 6:45 mark that brought the score to 49-34 in favor of Gonzaga. The Zags pulled away from there.

Last Time Out
The Dons fell into an early hole and were unable to dig out in a 73-61 loss to BYU on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center. Senior Rachel Howard paced a Dons offense that shot 42 percent on the day by scoring 18 points and adding a team-best five assists. Fellow senior Hashima Carothers added season-high 12 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. USF went just 4-for-14 in the first quarter, allowing BYU to open up a 22-11 lead after the opening frame. The Cougars were able to take advantage of USF's 21 miscues by holding a 22-13 advantage in points off turnovers. BYU also maintained a decisive edge down low, outscoring USF 36-18 in the paint. The Dons managed to outscore BYU 17-8 as they made a final push in the fourth quarter to rally back from the Cougar's game-high 22-point lead late in the third period.
 
Up Next
The Dons stay home to host Portland at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
 
Fan Guide
 
Promotions
Thursday's game will serve as the Dons' Think Pink Night, dedicated to the united fight to eradicate women's cancer. We celebrate and elevate the survivors and remember those who have battled cancer. HERS Breast Cancer Foundation will have representatives in attendance offering an opportunity to donate to the fight against breast cancer.
 
Thursday will also be featured as one of seven Jesuit Basketball Spotlight matchups for the USF women this season. The Jesuit Basketball Spotlight (JBS) is a nationwide effort to capitalize on basketball games between Jesuit schools and, through those games, bring greater positive awareness and exposure to Jesuit education and its shared mission. For more information visit JesuitBasketball.com, follow @Jesuit_BBall on Twitter or visit Jesuit Basketball Spotlight on Facebook.
 
Ticket Information
Individual game tickets for all USF home games this season are available online at USFDons.com or by calling (415) 422-2USF. General admission tickets are available for as low as $10. All USFCA faculty, staff and students with a valid ID, and youth 12 and under enter free.
 
Parking Information
Parking is available free of charge on game days two hours prior to tip-off and one hour after the conclusion of the game in the Hayes-Healy garage (located along Golden Gate Ave. in between War Memorial at the Sobrato Center and the Hayes Healy dorms) and at the Koret Health and Recreation Center lot (at the corner of Parker Ave. and Turk St.). Street parking is also available around campus, but visitors are reminded to take notice of signs displaying city parking restrictions for each street. Refer to the USF Department of Public Safety parking webpage for a map of parking on campus.