SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Following two COVID-19 related postponements, the USF Dons women's basketball program is back in action this week as they begin the conference season with a home contest against the No. 18 BYU Cougars (10-1) followed by a road matchup with the San Diego Toreros (8-4).
The Dons return to the comforts of War Memorial for the first time since Nov. 21 when USF defeated Northern Colorado as they welcome the conference-leading Cougars to the Bay Area. USF defeated BYU last season at War Memorial by an 84-72 final score. The early WCC schedule will prove to be a strong test for the Dons as they will play two teams who are consistently near the top of the conference standings.
BYU GAME DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022
Matchup: BYU Cougars (10-1) vs. San Francisco Dons (6-6)
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Arena: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Links: Watch/
Stats
SAN DIEGO GAME DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022
Matchup: San Francisco Dons vs. San Diego Toreros (8-4)
Location: San Diego, Calif.
Arena: Jenny Craig Pavillion
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Links: Watch/
Listen/
Stats
CONFERENCE TIME FOR THE DONS:
- USF navigated a daunting non-conference slate where they finished 6-6 and came away with impressive road victories over USC and Tulsa as they played eight consecutive games away from campus before returning home to play BYU.
- Ioanna Krimili had a tremendous non-conference season as she's second in the WCC at 17.4 PPG as she remains one of the strongest offensive forces in the WCC.
- Claudia Langarita will try and build off her fantastic games against both Colorado and Tulsa as she was named the conference's freshman of the week on Dec. 27 after she averaged 15.5 PPG while shooting 67% from the field as the Dons split their two games on that trip.
- Leading the offense, Jessica McDowell-White has done a tremendous job of taking care of the ball as she's currently tied for fourth in the conference in assist to turnover ratio at 2.3 per game.
- Seniors Abby Rathbun and Kia Vaalavirta each accomplished impressive milestones on the previous road trip as both have now played an even 100 games in a USF uniform.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS:
- The Cougars enter Thursday's matchup with the best record in the WCC to go along with the league's top offense at 77.8 points per game.
- Leading the offense is sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzales, who's leading the conference at 19.2 points per game while shooting 50% from the field.
- Not be outdone, sophomore forward Lauren Gustin is leading the WCC in rebounds per game at 12.7 per game, and she's also averaging a double-double with 11 points per game.
- Senior guard Paisley Harding is fourth in the conference at 15.6 PPG and is also fourth in the league in total minutes played.
SCOUTING THE TOREROS:
- USD enters conference play fourth in the conference standings after posting an 8-4 record to begin their season.
- Senior guard Steph Gorman is leading the way for the Toreros at 11.5 PPG and is shooting an impressive 43% from beyond the arc.
- Graduate student guard Sydeny Hunter will be important to keep out of the painted area, as she leads USD in rebounds per contest at 5.2.
- San Diego's non-conference opponents included Arizona State, San Diego State, Nebraska and Texas, as well as Idaho who USF defeated earlier this season.
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.
