SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Returning to the Hilltop for one final game during the regular season, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (21-7, 10-3 WCC) will aim to complete their fifth season sweep of a conference opponent on Saturday night as the Dons welcome Pepperdine (12-17, 5-9 WCC) to town for another WCC battle.
 
San Francisco will celebrate senior night on Saturday as the Dons will honor Justin Bieker, Jake Cioe, Isaiah Hawthorne, Josh Kunen and Volodymyr Markovetskyy prior to the contest. The pregame ceremony will begin promptly at 6:40 pm.
 
GAME 29 DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm PST
Opponent: Pepperdine (12-17, 5-9 WCC)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Last time out, San Francisco fell on the road at Saint Mary's, 70-66, in a fight to the finish at University Credit Union Pavilion. Leading the way for the Dons, Marcus Williams finished with his second-highest point total of the season as the guard poured in a game-high 26 points, which included tying his season-high with four made three-pointers.
• Checking in on the national rankings, Jonathan Mogbo continues to operate as one of the elite big men in Division I as he currently ranks in the top ten in field goal percentage (66.04/2^nd), total rebounds (289/7^th), rebounds per game (10.3/10^th) and double doubles (14/T-10^th).
• As a unit, the green and gold continue to find success as USF currently ranks in the top 50 in the country in field goal percentage (49.2/12^th), effective field goal percentage (0.564/13^th), scoring margin (13.4/14^th), free throw percentage (76.8/21^st), scoring defense (65.2/27^th), steals per game (8.6), rebound margin (5.2, 38^th), turnovers forced per game (14.32/46^th) and turnover margin (2.5/48^th).
• With a victory over Pepperdine on Saturday night, San Francisco will reach eleven wins in conference play for the first time since 2013-14, when the Dons would go on to finish 13-5 to tie with BYU for second place in the final WCC regular season standings.
• Hungry to play their best basketball as the calendar turns to March, USF is currently sitting at No. 60 in the NCAA's NET Rankings as of Friday, Feb. 23. Following Saturday's matchup against the Waves, the Dons will return to Chase Center for the second time this season to battle perennial powerhouse Gonzaga in a crucial WCC matchup next Thursday, Feb. 29.

SCOUTING THE WAVES:

• In their last time on the hardwood, Pepperdine led wire-to-wire on the road at Pacific as the Waves downed the Tigers without trouble, 89-70, in Stockton on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Tying Mogbo with his 14^th double-double of the season, Michael Ajayi dominated with 30 points and a season-high 17 rebounds to pace the visitors from Malibu. Additionally, Malik Moore (20 points) and Jevon Porter (16 points) also scored in double figures in the victory.
• Similar to Mogbo, Ajayi continues to make his case for WCC Player of the Year as the forward ranks in the top five in the conference in scoring (17.7/1^st), rebounds per game (9.5/2^nd), field goal percentage (46.7/4^th) and minutes per game (34.2/4^th).
• Named to the WCC All-Freshman Team in 2022-23, Porter has been a force for Pepperdine once again this year as the forward is averaging 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds since returning from injury.
• Alongside Ajayi and Porter, Houston Mallette forms a three-headed monster offensively for the Waves as the guard is currently third in the conference in total points (436) while also ranking fifth in points per game (15.0).
• Dangerous from the arc, Pepperdine is the top three-point shooting team in the conference heading into Saturday as the Waves currently lead the WCC with a 36.1 percent clip from distance.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday's matchup between the Dons and the Waves will mark the 142^nd meeting all-time between the two programs with the green and gold holding an 87-54 all-time series lead. Most recently, San Francisco took down Pepperdine, 80-74, in Malibu a few weeks back on Feb. 8. Notably, the green and gold have defeated the Waves in four straight contests and eleven of their last thirteen overall meetings dating back to 2016-17.

TRACK THE ACTION:
Saturday's contest will air live on ESPN+ at game time with Chris Sylvester and Dior Lowhorn on the call from the Hilltop. The game will also air live on KNBR 1050 with Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli on the call. Live streaming, radio, live statistics and ticket links are 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 @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 - 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.