SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Following the 2024-25 season beginning on the road, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (0-1) returns to the Hilltop to take on UC Santa Barbara (1-0) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Portland State (0-0) at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
GAME 2 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Opponent: UC Santa Barbara
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
GAME 3 INFORMATION:
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Opponent: Portland State
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco enters the home opener following a narrow 52-47 loss at Colorado State on Monday, Nov. 4, at Moby Arena. Freja Werth led the Dons in scoring, posting 13 points while shooting 44.4 percent (four-for-nine) from the field. Werth was also active on the glass, tying Debora dos Santos in rebounding with a game-high nine.
• Angeliki Ziaka scored her first two collegiate baskets against the Rams, connecting on two of her four three-point attempts to finish the game with six points. 
• Emma Trawally Porta, playing her first game as a Don following three seasons at Detroit Mercy, scored nine points, collected two rebounds, and shot 50 percent (three-for-six) from the field.
• The team had a solid defensive presence during the contest, holding the Rams to just 29.3 percent shooting, the lowest since the team held LMU to 23.6 percent shooting in a 63-38 win on January 1, 2024. The Dons also forced nine turnovers, blocked four shots, and tallied three steals, led by Trawally Porta and Sol Castro, posting two blocks apiece.
• As a team, San Francisco recorded 52 rebounds at Colorado State, reaching the 50-rebound threshold for just the 16th time in the Molly Goodenbour era. The rebounding performance against the Rams marked the most since recording 53 in an 80-79 win at Santa Clara during the 2022-23 season.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS:

• UC Santa Barabara enters the weekend following a 44-point win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 70-26. Four players reached double figures for the Gauchos as Aya Choice (12 points), Jessica Grant (12 points), Martha Pietsch (11 points), and Skylar Burke (10 points) guided the team offensively.
• Laurel Rockwood led the team on the glass against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, totaling 10 rebounds. Rockwood, who averaged 4.2 rebounds per game last season, reached double-digit rebounds in a game for the first time since recording 12 against Cal Lutheran on December 21, 2022.
• Head Coach Renee Jimenez picked up her first Division I victory in the win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps last Wednesday. Jimenez's previous stops include Division II programs, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Monterey Bay, and CSUSB.
• Despite returning 11 players from the 2023-24 roster, UC Santa Barbara lost its leading scorer from a season ago, Alexis Whitfield. Whitfield averaged 15.1 points per game for the Gauchos, reaching double figures 21 times. 

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS:

• Before coming to the Hilltop, Portland State takes on Hawaii in its season opener on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Viking Pavilion. The Vikings competed in an exhibition game earlier last week, defeating Montana Tech, an NAIA program, 63-55.
• The Vikings are coming off an 8-23 season, finishing 10th in the Big Sky Conference standings at 3-15.
• Rhema Ogele returns as the team's second-leading scorer from a season ago, averaging 9.7 points per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field. Ogele reached double figures 11 times during the 2023-24 season, including recording a season-high 27 in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament against Weber State.
• Portland State enters the season with eight newcomers, joining eight returning players from last season's roster. Ogele and Alaya Fitzgerald will be starting for a fourth straight season, while Lana Wenger enters her second year in the Vikings' starting five. 

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco and UC Santa Barbara have faced off nine times in program history, with the Dons holding a narrow 5-4 advantage. The Gauchos have held the recent success, winning four in a row, including an 87-75 win over the Dons on November 7, 2023, at The Thunderdome.
• San Francisco holds a 2-1 advantage against Portland State in three all-time meetings. Following a 36-year hiatus, the Dons earned a 74-63 victory last season on the road, the lone win for the Dons at Viking Pavilion.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women'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 – San Francisco 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.