SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Returning home to the Hilltop for the first time in the new year, the USF Dons women's basketball team (12-5, 2-3) are looking to get back on track as they welcome a pair of Northern California conference rivals. The Dons will first face off with the Pacific Tigers (7-9, 2-3) at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 12 followed by a Saturday afternoon 2:00 p.m. tip on January 14 against the Saint Mary Gaels (8-8, 2-3) from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. 

USF is looking to bounce back after a tough trip through the Pacific Northwest as they face a pair of schools that have posted the same conference record so far as the Dons. Leading the way for the Dons this season has been the strong play of redshirt junior guard Ioanna Krimili who ranks second in the West Coast Conference by averaging 16.8 PPG as the focal point of the USF offense. 

PACIFIC GAME DETAILS:
Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023 / 6:00 p.m.
Opponent: Pacific Tigers (7-9, 2-3)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center / San Francisco, Calif. 
Watch: WCC Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

SAINT MARY'S GAME DETAILS:
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 / 2:00 p.m.
Opponent: Saint Mary's Gaels (8-8, 2-3)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center / San Francisco, Calif. 
Watch: WCC Network 
Live Stats: StatBroadcast 

DONS AT A GLANCE:

• The Dons are ready to shake off their trip to the Pacific Northwest as they suffered their first consecutive losses of the season against strong Gonzaga and Portland teams last week.
• USF will need to rediscover their offensive rhythm back home this week as USF currently ranks third in the WCC in points per game as they've averaged 71.5 PPG as a team this season while also doing a great job of creating second chances for themselves as they're tied for first in the league with 13.9 offensive rebounds per game.
• On the defensive side, the Dons have done a good job of limiting their opponents in securing open looks by denying passes and playing connected defense as they're second in the WCC allowing the opponent to dish out just 11.5 assists per game this season.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:

• UOP comes to the City by the Bay winners of back-to-back conference games as they dispatched of both Pepperdine and LMU on their home floor last week for their first two conference wins of the season.
• Leading the way for the Tigers this season has been the play of junior guard Liz Smith, who leads Pacific by averaging 13.3 PPG while starting all 13 games she's played in while also ranking tied for fourth in the WCC by shooting 45.2% from three-point range.
• The Dons will try to take advantage of Pacific on the defensive side of the ball as they currently allowing the second most points per game in the conference at 68.5, while their opponents are shooting an efficient 41.4% from the field.

SCOUTING THE GAELS:

• Saint Mary's begins this week of play with a .500 mark as they've gone 4-4 this season both at home and on the road. They split against the LA schools last week at home as they were defeated by LMU before rebounding to get a win over Pepperdine last Saturday.
• Leading the way for the Gaels this season has been redshirt junior forward Ali Bamberger, who currently leads her team by averaging 15.1 PPG this season while shooting 46.2% from the field. Bamberger has also been a force on the glass this season, as she ranks third in the WCC with 8.1 rebounds per game.
• The Dons will have their hands full trying to score from the perimeter as Saint Mary's is currently allowing their opponents to shoot just 26.9% from long distance this season as USF looks for different ways to score.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Dating back to the 2005-06 season, the Tigers hold an overall 12-11 advantage in the 23 games the programs have played but the Dons are currently on a three-game winning streak against UOP dating back to the 2020-21 season. 
• Saint Mary's currently leads the recent series matchups by a 26-9 advantage, but the Dons have won five of the last six games played between the two programs as each road team came out victorious last season. 

TRACK THE ACTION:
Live streaming for Thursday and Saturday's games will be through the WCC Network and live statistics can found through StatBroadcast. To find links for the broadcast and live statistics use the team's schedule page. 

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.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.