SANTA BARBARA/SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team kicks off the 2023-24 season on the road when it travels to take on UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7, followed by the home opener against Stanislaus State at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
GAME 1 DETAILS:
Date: November 7, 2023
Time: 7 p.m.
Opponent: UC Santa Barbara
Site: The Thunderdome
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Dons Radio Network
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
 
GAME 2 DETAILS:
Date: November 9, 2023
Time: 4 p.m.
Opponent: Stanislaus State
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Concluding the 2022-23 season with a 19-13 record, the most wins in a season since 2015-16, San Francisco earned a fourth-place finish in the WCC standings and a third straight Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
• San Francisco finished the 2022-23 season at Washington, competing in the WNIT. The Dons ultimately fell, 61-46, at Alaska Airlines Arena, with Debora dos Santos leading the team with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
• Retooling in the offseason, the Dons added seven players to the roster: four Division I transfers, Mia Vuksic (Kansas), Freja Werth (UAlbany), Seynabou Thiam (Tarleton State), and Sol Castro (Robert Morris), one junior college transfer, Luana Leite and two true-freshmen, Elle Papahronis and Paula Tirado.
• Jasmine Gayles, the reigning WCC Sixth Woman of the Year, returns for her final season of competition. Gayles, named to the WCC Preseason Team, averaged 10.1 points per game in 32 games off the bench last season and reached double figures in 18 games while tallying a career-high 23 points twice in wins over Cal State East Bay and Colorado State.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS:

• UC Santa Barbara, opening the new campaign at home for the third consecutive season, is coming off its first 20+ win season since 2008-09.
• The Gauchos, concluding last season with a 21-12 overall record, finished Big West Conference runners-up after narrowly falling to Hawaii, 61-59, in the conference championship game at Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
• Despite losing its top two leading scorers, Alexis Tucker and Ila Lane, UC Santa Barbara returns eight players from a season ago; most notably, the Gauchos return three seniors in Anya Choice, Alyssa Marin and Alexis Whitfield. 

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS:

• Stanislaus State enters the 2023-24 season after concluding last season with a 7-21 record and finishing 11th in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
• Makayla Rose returns for her sophomore season as she led the team last season, averaging 19.4 points per game and was named to the CCAA All-Conference Team.
• Joia Armstrong led the team defensively, securing 6.0 rebounds per game and accumulating 30 blocks.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• San Francisco holds a 5-3 record over UC Santa Barbara since the first-ever meeting during the 1980-81 season. The Dons held a five-game winning streak over the Gauchos to begin the series, but the Gauchos secured the next three, including a 60-41 win in the last meeting in the 2011-12 season.
• Playing Stanislaus State for the first time since the 1991-92 season, San Francisco has won five of the seven all-time meetings. The Dons currently hold a five-game winning streak over the Warriors from 1976-1991. 

TRACK THE ACTION:
Tuesday's season opener against UC Santa Barbara and Thursday's home opener against Stanislaus State will air live on ESPN+ at game time. Live statistics are also available above and via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
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.