The University of San Francisco men's basketball returns to action on Wednesday when they host the Pepperdine Waves for a 2:00 p.m. matinee.  The Dons and Waves will be televised on NBC Sports Bay Area with Roxy Bernstein and Dan Belluomini calling the action live from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Pat Olson will have the radio call on the home of USF Dons Basketball, KNBR 1050-AM.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 10, 2021 – 2:00 p.m.
Opponent: Pepperdine Waves (8-8, 4-3 WCC)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
TV:  NBC Sports Bay Area
Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play); Dan Belluomini (analyst)
Radio:  KNBR 1050-AM
Talent: Pat Olson (play-by-play)
Live Stats: USFDons.com


USF AT A GLANCE
• The Dons return to action after halting basketball activities for the last week and a half.  The last time out, the Dons fell to visiting Saint Mary's 67-63. Free throws played huge part in the Dons' loss - the Gaels went 12-for-14 from the line with Tommy Khuse going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe  USF was just 8-for-14 with Kahlil Shabazz and Jamaree Bouyea missing crucial free throws late.  
 
• Win/Loss Splits: The Dons have some impressive splits between wins and losses.  In the Dons' 10 wins they average 78.8 points per game, while holding their opponents to 61.4.  In the eight losses, USF scores just 65.1 ppg, while surrendering 74.8. Against the Gael last time out, they were held to 63 points while shooting 40.9 percent from the field.
 
• Bouyea Eclipses 1,000:  The Dons senior guard scored his 1,000 point in the loss to Saint Mary's. Becoming the 39th player in USF history to eclipses the 1,000 point plateau. He currently has 1,012 points in his brilliant career which ranks 38th all-time.  He trails Mike Quick (1970-73) by seven points for 37th all-time and Erwin Mueller (1963-66) by eight points for 36th all-time. The all-time leader in scoring at USF is Hall of Famer Bill Cartwright with 2,116.
 
• Looking at the Standings:  The Dons enter Wednesday's game at 4-4 in the WCC - which currently ranks fifth - one game back of the visiting Waves who are 4-3 in the WCC.
 
• NET Rankings: The Dons currently sit at 84 in the latest NET ranking.  USF is one of four teams in the WCC in the top-100.  Trailing Gonzaga (2nd) and BYU (30th), followed by Saint Mary's (65th). 
 
• Hold them to 72!: This season the Dons are 0-6 when allowing 73 or more and 10-2 when their opponent scores 72 or fewer.  The two losses when the Dons held the opponent to less than 72 - at LMU on Jan. 10 (68-60) and vs. Saint Mary's on Jan. 23 (67-63).
 
• Dons From Distance: As of Tuesday, the Dons - even after being on pause since Jan. 24 - are 10th in the nation in 3-point attempts (544), ninth in three pointers made (198), third in the nation in 3-point field goals per game (11.0), 67th in 3-point field goal percentage (36.4%) and 15th in 3-point field goal defense (28.7). The Dons have three players in the top-10 in the WCC in 3-point field goals per game: Khalil Shabazz is 2nd with 2.83, Dzmitry Ryuny is third at 2.33 and Jamaree Bouyea is ninth at 1.72 threes per game.
 
• On the Glass: The Dons rank 195th in the nation in rebounds per game at 35.1.  They are 116th in total rebounds with 633. USF is back in the plus in rebound margin at +0.1 - they are 6-3 when out rebounding their opponent.  The three losses are vs. Rhode Island, at California and vs. Saint Mary's.  In the loss to the Gaels, USF outrebounded SMC 34-29 - the +5 margin is the largest in a loss since the Dons were +7 in a 90-76 loss at BYU on Feb. 8, 2020.
 
• Offense/Defense: The Dons rank 137th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 73.3 points per game.  They are 99th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 67.3 points per contest. USF is 98th in the nation and third in the WCC in scoring margin at +5.9 USF is scored 70 or more 10 times this year - they are 8-2 when scoring north of 70.
 
• From the field: The Dons are shooting 43.5 percent from the field; their opponents are shooting 42.6 percent from the floor. The Dons from 2-point range this year the Dons are 278-for-549 (50.6). Two-point field goals account for just 42.2 percent of their points this season.
 
Series History vs. PEPPERDINE
Wednesday will be the 137th time the Dons and Waves have tangled.  All-time the Dons own a 83-53 advantage in a series that dates back to the days of Russell and Jones. The first ever matchup took place on January 6, 1956 with the Dons winning 62-51 at Kezar Stadium. At home, the Dons are 45-20 against the Waves.  Last season, the Dons won the only matchup between the two teams, winning 63-61 in overtime on Feb. 22, 2020.  Over the last 10 matchups, the Dons are 8-2. 
 
About the WAVES
The Waves come to the Hilltop with an overall record of 8-8 and are 4-3 in the WCC in the third year of the second stint with legendary head coach Lorenzo Romar.  The Waves soundly defeated Portland on the road last time out, winning 91-70. Over their last 10 games they are 5-5.  As a team, Pepperdine is averaging 77.0 points per contest, while shooting 45.1 percent from the field.  Defensively, they are surrendierng 74.7 points per contest, while holding their opponents to 44.2 percent from the field.  The Dons and Waves are two of the best 3-point defensive teams in the conference. The Waves limit their foes to 27.8 percent from beyond the arc.  They are led by the dynamic duo of all world guard Cobey Ross (16.9 ppg, 7.63 asists per game) and forward Kessler Edwards (17.4 ppg, 6.8 rebounds per game).
 
Last Time Out Versus PEPPERDINE
The Dons won a defensive struggle last February beating the visiting Waves 63-61 in overtime. The matchup featured two great scoring guards, with Pepperdine's Colbey Ross finishing with a game-high 20 points and seven assists and the Dons' Charles Minlend finished with 19 points and 12 boards.
 
It was seldom used Trevante Anderson who gave the Dons a spark.  The reserve guard finished with 11 points in 17 minutes of action.
 
With the Dons trailing 58-56 with less than 10 seconds to play, Minlend hit both ends of a 1-on-1 to send the game into overtime. In the extra period the Dons defense took over, holding the Waves to one free throw and a meaningless field goal as the time expired.
 
NEXT UP
The Dons remain home for a matchup against No. 2 Gonzaga.  Saturday's contest will tip off at 3:05 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2 with Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham calling the action. The Dons' radio broadcast will shift to KNBR 680-AM and 104.5 FM for Saturday's contest.