SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- With the first week of WCC play in the rearview mirror, the USF Dons women's basketball team (6-8, 0-2) is back on the hardwood as they will travel north to take on the Portland Pilots (10-3, 0-1) Thursday night before returning to the Bay Area for a home-and-home matchup with the Santa Clara Broncos (6-4, 0-0) Saturday and Monday. 

USF is coming off two close, hard fought contests against BYU and San Diego as they look to get back to their winning ways against strong conference competition with two more road games before three straight games at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The Dons defeated the Pilots in their lone matchup last season in the Pacific Northwest, and swept the Broncos in both of their meetings during the 2020-21 season.

PORTLAND GAME DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022
Matchup: San Francisco Dons (6-8, 0-2) vs. Portland Pilots (10-3, 0-1)
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Links: Watch/Listen/Stats

SANTA CLARA GAME DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022
Matchup: San Francisco Dons vs. Santa Clara Broncos (6-4, 0-0)
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Arena: Leavey Center
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Links: Watch/Listen/Stats

SANTA CLARA GAME DETAILS:
Date: Monday, Jan. 17, 2022
Matchup: Santa Clara Broncos vs San Francisco Dons 
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Arena: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Links: Watch/Stats

DONS BOUNCING BACK:

• Playing shorthanded to begin WCC play, the Dons put forth strong efforts against two of the WCC's stronger programs suffering narrow defeats against both #18 BYU and San Diego on the road.
• Jasmine Gayles made her presence in the WCC known early, as she set a new season-high with 22 points against the Cougars, and followed up that strong performance by scoring 21 points on the road against the Toreros where she scored 21 points and grabbed a season-high nine rebounds for the Dons.
• Running the point and leading the team on both ends of the floor, Jessica McDowell-White stepped up playing the entire game against both BYU and USD. She made her presence on the court felt as well, dishing out a season-high 10 assists against the Cougars followed up by a new season-high with 12 points against the Toreros.
• Following her winning the WCC's freshman of the week, Claudia Langarita wasted no time to make an impact during conference action as she made her first two collegiate starts last week. Langarita scored 15 points against the Cougars and responded by scoring 11 against the Toreros to go along with four rebounds and three assists in both contests.
• Playing key minutes off the bench, Kennedy Dickie has been a key piece in USF's efforts on the glass, as she leads the Dons in rebounds per game this season at 4.9. 

SCOUTING THE PILOTS:

• Portland enters Thursday's game fresh off a 76-65 loss to Gonzaga at home to begin their conference calendar. 
• The Pilots will attempt to use their size and length to their advantage against the Dons, as Portland is second in the WCC in rebounds per game and third in field goal percentage as they try and get as many looks near the basket as possible.
• Sophomore forward Alex Fowler is the Pilots' leading scorer so far this season at 16.7 PPG on a very efficient 53% shooting from the field, while also controlling the glass and leading Portland in rebounds per game with 7.8. 
• Junior guard Haylee Andrews will also be someone that the Dons will need to key in on as she's second on the Pilots at 12.1 PPG and leads her team in assists this season. 

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:

• Santa Clara enters Saturday and Monday's game following an extended break from games due to COVID-19 related issues within their program and their opponents.
• The Broncos are among the middle of the pack in the WCC in most offensive categories, including fourth in points per game and field goal percentage through their first 10 games of the season.
• Senior guard Lindsey VanAllen is leading the way for Santa Clara's offense scoring 14.4 PPG and shooting 37% from beyond the arc.
• Redshirt senior forward Merle Wiehl has been a force on the glass for her squad, leading the Broncos with 7.8 rebounds per game as well as being second on the team in points per game at 12.8. 

TICKETS AND MERCHANDISE:
Single-game tickets for West Coast Conference basketball games are currently on sale at www.usfdons.com/tickets. 

Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at www.usfdons.com/shop.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.