LOS ANGELES/SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Returning to the hardwood following its dominating win over Gonzaga at home to begin conference play, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (4-6, 1-0 WCC) hits the road for the first time to take on LMU (6-4, 0-2 WCC) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28 at Gersten Pavilion and Santa Clara (7-5, 1-1 WCC) at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 30, at Leavey Center.
 
GAME 11 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Opponent: LMU
Site: Gersten Pavilion
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
GAME 12 INFORMATION:
Date: Monday, Dec. 30, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Opponent: Santa Clara
Site: Leavey Center
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco is coming off a win over Gonzaga, with a 73-58 victory on Thursday, Dec. 19, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Emma Trawally Porta led the Dons in scoring, posting 18 points on 50 percent (five-for-10) shooting while connecting on all six of her free-throw attempts. 
• The Dons never trailed during the contest, earning a wire-to-wire victory over the Bulldogs for the first time since February 10, 2001, when the Dons earned an 88-60 win on the Hilltop. Kim Whisler led the green and gold in scoring, with 20 points on 88.9 percent (eight-for-nine) shooting in 26 minutes.
• Freja Werth, Debora dos Santos, and Luana Leite also scored in double figures for the Dons, as Werth and dos Santos scored 15 points apiece while Leite added a season-high 12.
• Leite nearly recorded a triple-double, adding a season-high 10 assists and seven rebounds while shooting a perfect seven-for-seven from the free-throw line.
• As a team, the green and gold totaled 10 steals, matching the season-best set at Northern Arizona on December 14.
• In 10 games this season, three players continue to average double-figure scoring, with Werth leading the team at 14.2 points per game. Alongside Werth, Trawally Porta (12.2 PPG) and dos Santos (11.2 PPG) also guide the Dons offensively.
• Defensively, San Francisco ranks second in the WCC and 31st nationally in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 35.8 percent shooting.
• San Francisco is also one of two teams in the WCC to hold six opponents to under 60 points in a game this season, tied with undefeated Portland. 

SCOUTING THE LIONS:

• LMU enters Saturday's game in Los Angeles with a 6-4 overall record after dropping its first two WCC contests last week, falling to Portland and at Saint Mary's.
• The Lions have three players scoring in double figures, with Maya Hernandez leading at 13.9 points per game. First-year members Naudia Evans and Brandi Williams rank second and third on the team in scoring at 13.6 and 13.0 points per game, respectively.
• Evans also paces the team and WCC in assists, totaling 73 (7.3 per game) through 10 games. Earning the start in all 10 games, Evans has totaled double-digit assists in a game twice, with a season-high 12 coming at Utah Valley on November 22.
• As a team, LMU ranks second in the WCC and 58th nationally in turnover margin at 4.1. In 10 games, the Lions have only turned the ball over 123 times while forcing 164 turnovers. The team has recorded three games this season with single-digit turnovers, accentuated by a season-low five in the dominating win over Life Pacific. 

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:

• Santa Clara enters the second week of WCC play in a tie for fifth place in the conference standings following a split with Saint Mary's and Pepperdine last week. Santa Clara begins its two-game homestand with undefeated Portland on Saturday, Dec. 28, before hosting San Francisco.
• Olivia Pollerd, the Broncos' lone double-digit scorer, leads the team and ranks fourth in the WCC in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game. Pollerd struggled in the 64-56 overtime loss against Saint Mary's on Thursday, Dec. 19, scoring 10 points on four-of-12 shooting.
• Malia Latu and Maddie Naro also contribute offensively for the program, averaging 9.3 and 8.6 points per game, respectively.
• Defensively, Pollerd tops the team in blocks, accumulating 22 in 11 games played. Three players have totaled double-digit steals this season, with Hannah Rapp leading the team with 13.
• Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC in scoring defense, allowing 61.7 points per game, and first in opponent field-goal percentage at 35.7 percent.

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco and LMU have faced off 60 times in program history, with the Dons holding a 50-40 advantage over the Lions since the first-ever meeting in the 1984-85 season.
• Santa Clara holds a commanding 59-47 advantage over San Francisco in the all-time series, dating back to the 1976-77 season. Despite the Dons winning 10 of the last 16 contests, the Broncos earned the season sweep last season, defeating the green and gold twice during conference play.

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 – ABM - 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.