University of San Francisco Athletics

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco women's basketball team will wrap up its home non-conference schedule at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon when it hosts two-time defending Big West Conference champion UC Davis at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
GAME 9 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Dec. 15, 2018 – 3:00 p.m.
Opponent: UC Davis (5-5, 0-0 Big West)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Tickets: https://bit.ly/2yJatoS
Live Video: https://bit.ly/2SVMlKr
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2QRjcm8
 
USF AT A GLANCE

• San Francisco (3-5) snapped a four-game skid last week with a double-digit, 86-75, road victory over Northern California neighbor Sacramento State. It marked the Dons' first true road win of the season.
   
• USF's perimeter defense has been on point in the last two games. The Dons have faced the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the country (Sacramento State, Idaho) for 3-pointers made per game in their last two contests, and they held them to a combined 7 for 60 (11.7 percent) from beyond the arc. The Hornets and Vandals both entered those games averaging at least 12.0 treys per contest, and neither of them made more than four against USF.
   
• Meanwhile, the Dons' own 3-point shooting saw a huge improvement on Dec. 5 at Sacramento State. After going just 1 for 15 at Idaho on Dec. 1, San Francisco shot 40 percent (6 for 15) against the Hornets.
   
• Two Dons set new career highs in scoring at Sacramento State on Dec. 5. Shannon Powell tallied a team-high 25 points, and Nia Alexander poured in 18 on 9-for-12 shooting. Two other Dons were also in double figures to give USF four double-digit scorers.
   
• San Francisco has started and finished games strong this season, but it has struggled in between. The Dons have been outscored 153-132 in the second quarter and 170-116 in the third quarter, a combined differential of -75. Meanwhile, they have outscored opponents by a total of 28 points in the first and fourth quarters combined, including a +21 differential in the fourth quarter alone.

ABOUT UC DAVIS

The Aggies (5-5) have won two straight and three of their last four, including two wins away from home. The rebound comes after the Aggies started the season last month losing their first three games.

UC Davis is among the nation's top-50 in ball handling. They are 50th in assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.08) and 26th in total assists with 162. They average 16.2 assists per game, 48th in the country. Kourtney Eaton is 33rd in the NCAA with 50 assists so far this season. Morgan Bertsch is the nation's third-best scorer, averaging 24.4 points per game.

LAST GAME VS. THE HORNETS
 
A slow start led to a wild finish on Dec. 5, as San Francisco got out to a big first half lead, then pulled away late for an 86-75 non-conference win over Sacramento State at The Nest. The host Hornets entered the game as the nation's top scoring offense at 95.0 points per game, and the Dons had not scored less than 62 points in a game all season. But five minutes in, the game was only tied at 8-8. San Francisco would find its rhythm 3 1/2 minutes in, however. The Dons made five straight baskets – including three from Alexander – and went on a 17-0 run that gave them a substantial 21-8 lead. The run would eventually mature into a 24-5 stretch that put USF up 28-13 at quarter's end. The run included 3-pointers from Sacramento native Veronica Preciado and fellow senior Shannon Powell. San Francisco went 10 for 15 from the floor during the run after starting the quarter just 2 for 5.
 
COMING UP
San Francisco travels to Florida next week to take part in the 31st Annual Hatter Classic at Stetson University. There, the Dons will face North Dakota State (Wednesday) and North Dakota (Friday). Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.