The University of San Francisco men's basketball team opened conference play with a bang on Thursday evening, defeating Bay Area rival Saint Mary's 76-72.  On Saturday, the Dons look to go 2-0 when they square off against longtime conference foe Pepperdine at 5:00 p.m. at Firestone Fieldhouse.  Saturday's game will be streamed on TheW.tv with Dan Hellie and Dani Klupenger on the call, Sammy O'Brien will be the reporter.  As always, fans can tune in to 1550-AM The GAME, the official home of USF Dons basketball, to hear Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli with the call.

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 05, 2019 – 5:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: Pepperdine Waves (8-7, 1-0 WCC)
Site: Firestone Fieldhouse – Malibu, Calif.
Video: TheW.tv
Talent: Dan Hellie (play-by-play), Dani Klupenger (analyst), and Sammy O'Brien (reporter)
Radio:  1550-AM The GAME
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play) and Jim Brovelli (analyst)
Live Stats: USFDons.com
Game Notes: USF at Pepperdine
 
USF AT A GLANCE

• At 13-2, USF is off to their best start through 15 games since the 1981-82 season when the Dons opened the year 14-1.
• On the road this year, the Dons are 2-1 with wins over UC Davis and Cal, their lone loss came at the hands of UC Santa Barbara in the non-conference finale.
• USF opened up WCC action with a 76-72 win at home over Saint Mary's that was televised on ESPN2.  The Dons have won back-to-back contests over the Gaels for the first time since January 2002.
• The Dons are averaging 78.1 points per game this season, with four players averaging better than 10 points per game.  Leading the team in scoring is sophomore guard Charles Minlend who is averaging 15.0 points per game. Minlend has scored in double figures in 14 of 15 games this season.
• In the latest NET rankings, the Dons fell from 39th to 41st following their win over Saint Mary's. USF is second in the WCC according to the NET rankings and ranks higher than all 12 of the Pac-12 schools. 
• In the win over the Gaels, USF went into the locker room leading 40-33 at the intermission. With the win, the Dons improved to 13-1 when leading at the half.  In the Kyle Smith era, the Dons are 50-8 when leading at halftime.  This season, the one loss came against UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 29. 
• USF improved to 11-2 when scoring at least 70 points this season.  The two losses came against No. 21 Buffalo on Dec. 1 and at UCSB on Dec. 29.  Both losses came by a combined six points.  Under Kyle Smith, the Dons are 44-12 when they score at least 70 points.
• Thursday's win over Saint Mary's saw USF improve to 2-1 in WCC openers in the Kyle Smith Era.

 
THE SERIES
Saturday will be the 133rd matchup between the Dons and Waves.  All-time, USF owns an 80-52 advantage in the series that debuted in the 1955-56 season, that year the Dons took both of halves of the series. At Pepperdine, USF is 34-26 all-time, including a 21-21 mark in Maliu.  USF won 20 of the first 25 games between the two squads, with Pepperdine returning serve and dominating the series in the 80's and late 90's. USF has retaken the series advantage winning 12 of the last 14 including an 80-73 win for the Dons at USF on Jan. 20, 2018 to sweep the season against the Waves.
 
ABOUT THE WAVES
Pepperdine enters Saturday's game 8-7 overall and are 1-0 in the WCC after defeating PCH cup rival LMU to open conference on Thursday. The Waves have won two-straight after falling in three-straight.  Under new head coach Lorenzo Romar, the Waves are 6-1 at Firestone Fieldhouse.  As a team, Pepperdine is averaging 79.6 points per game and shooting 45.3 percent from the field.  Six players are averaging better than 10 points per game, led by Colbey Ross who is averaging 19.0 points per contest.
 
LAST GAME AGAINST PEPPERDINE
On January 20, 2018 the Dons looked to get the season sweep over the visiting Waves. USF opened the game with an early 10 point lead but Pepperdine refused to go quietly.  The Dons settled for a seven point advantage going into the locker room. Out of the break, the play of the Dons backcourt trio of Frankie Ferrari (22 points), Jamaree Bouyea (13 points) and Jordan Ratinho (14 points) helped put the game away. The free throw line played a huge factor as Ferrari went 7-for-10 from the charity stripe, all coming after the break.  Bouyea went 3-for-5 from long range and was 4-for-4 from the free throw line.  For the Waves, Pepperdine was led by Kameron Edwards team-high 18.  Colbey Ross had 15.

UP NEXT
USF will be back on the Hilltop when they host No. 7 Gonzaga on Saturday, January 12. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip.