STOCKTON, Calif. - Entering league play with the best overall record in the West Coast Conference, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (11-4) seeks a season-high fourth consecutive victory on Thursday night as the Dons begin conference play in Stockton with a 7:00 pm battle at Pacific (6-9).

GAME 16 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: Pacific (6-9, 0-0 WCC)
Site: Alex G. Spanos Center
Location: Stockton, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Last time on the hardwood, the Dons closed out their nonconference schedule with a 92-42 victory over Mississippi Valley State on the Hilltop last Saturday, Dec. 30. Five players scored in double figures for San Francisco, including Jonathan Mogbo, who posted 16 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes, good for his sixth double-double of the season. Off the bench, Stefan Todorovic and Isaiah Hawthorne combined for 24 points and six three-pointers in the contest against the Delta Devils.
• Malik Thomas heads into WCC play riding the best five-game stretch of his career, averaging 16.0 points on 62.8 percent shooting from the field and 54.5 percent shooting from three-point range across the last five contests. Notably, he made the first start of his collegiate career on Dec. 20 against Northern Arizona.
• Heading into league action, San Francisco is the highest-ranked WCC team in the NCAA's Net Rankings as the Dons currently sit at No. 39 as of Wednesday, Jan. 3 - 13 spots ahead of Saint Mary's and 18 spots ahead of No. 24/25 Gonzaga. The Dons have also moved into the top 50 in both the KenPom (47) and Bart Torvik (50) rankings.
• Nationally, the Dons currently rank in the top 35 across Division I in opponent points per game (59.3/7th), scoring margin (17.9/14th), opponent three-point percentage (28.0/20th), field goal percentage (49.7/22nd) and steals per game (9.3/31st).
• Mogbo continues to lead the WCC in rebounds per game (10.1), the conference's only player averaging a double-double and one of only 13 players across Division I averaging a double-double. Mogbo remains one of the nation's most efficient scorers, with his 66.7 percent shooting clip from the field being the sixth-highest across Division I.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:

• Pacific closed out its nonconference slate last Saturday, Dec. 30 with a 80-66 home victory over Cal Maritime. The Tigers saw four players score in double figures in the win, with senior guard Lesown Hallums Jr. leading the way with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field.
• Senior forward Judson Martindale has led the charge for Pacific so far this season, averaging 10.5 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Moe Odum has averaged 4.5 assists per game so far this season, the second-highest average in the WCC behind Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard (5.7).
• Similar to San Francisco, the Tigers also faced Mississippi Valley State, Northern Arizona and Fresno State in their nonconference slate. Pacific defeated MVSU in a narrow 68-65 overtime victory on Nov. 26. The Tigers faced Northern Arizona on Dec. 2 and Fresno State on Dec. 9, with both games ending in double-digit defeats for Pacific. For USF, the Dons faced all three opponents in their last three contests of nonconference play, besting all three teams by an average margin of 36.7 points.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday evening's matchup will be the 113^th all-time meeting between San Francisco and Pacific, with the green and gold leading the all-time series 80-32. USF has won the last four contests against the Tigers, including an 80-63 victory in their last meeting, which came in the second round of the 2023 WCC Tournament in Las Vegas this past March.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB 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 sponsor - Toyota - 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.