LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Advancing to the WCC Championship semifinals for a third straight year, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (23-9, 11-5 WCC) will look to clinch a spot in the Credit Union 1 WCC Championship final for the first time in 26 years as the Dons will face Gonzaga (24-6, 14-2 WCC) in an 8:30 p.m. contest on Monday night at Orleans Arena.
 
GAME 33 INFORMATION:
Date: Monday, Mar. 11, 2024
Time: 8:30 p.m. PST
Opponent: 2 seed Gonzaga (24-6, 14-2 WCC)
Site: Orleans Arena
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Watch: ESPN 2
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Single Session Tickets
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Bouncing back from a short skid to wrap up the regular season, San Francisco comfortably took down six-seed Portland, 72-51, in the quarterfinal round of the Credit Union 1 WCC Championship. Dominating all 40 minutes, USF never trailed in the contest as the Dons led by as many as 30 points in the win. Notably, four Dons scored in double figures, including All-WCC First Team selection Marcus Williams, who paced the USF offense with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond-the-arc. As a team, the green and gold shot 28-of-53 from the field (52.8 percent) and 11-of-24 from distance (45.8).
• Saturday night's victory gave the Dons a victory in the WCC Tournament for a fifth consecutive season, which marks the green and gold's longest streak since the adoption of the WCC/WCAC Tournament in 1987.
• USF is a perfect 17-0 in games where the Dons shoot 50 percent or better from the floor and 11-1 in games where the green and gold make 10 or more three-pointers.
• Looking to take charge from the jump, San Francisco is 21-3 when leading at the half this season and 17-1 when outrebounding their opponent.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• Gonzaga has won eight straight contests, closing out its regular season with a statement win over then-No. 17/17 Saint Mary's on Saturday, Mar. 2 in a 70-57 victory, handing the Gaels their only loss in conference play. Appearing in the AP and Coaches' polls over the last three weeks, the win over the Gaels pushed the Gonzaga above Saint Mary's in both Week 18 rankings.
• Three Bulldogs earned All-WCC First Team honors last Tuesday in redshirt junior Graham Ike, junior Ryan Nembhard, and graduate student Anton Watson. Additionally, junior Nolan Hickman earned All-WCC Second Team honors, and guard Braden Huff was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team.
• Ike has scored 20-plus points in the last seven games for GU, averaging 25.0 points per game on 62.5 percent shooting in the final week of the regular season to nab the final WCC Player of the Week award.
• The Zags are looking to make the WCC Tournament championship game for a 27^th consecutive season, as they have not missed the finals of the conference tournament since 1997 (SMC vs. USF).

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco and Gonzaga will meet for the 96^th time in program history as the Bulldogs currently hold a 73-22 lead in the all-time series. Monday night's game will mark the third straight season where the Dons and Zagswill meet in the semifinal round of the WCC Tournament. USF is looking for its first win over GU in 12 seasons as the green and gold last beat the Bulldogs on Feb. 18, 2012 at War Memorial.

TRACK THE ACTION:
Monday's WCC Tournament semifinal contest will air live on ESPN 2 with Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham on the call. The game will also air live on KNBR 1050 with Pat Olsen and Jim Brovelli on the call. Live streaming, radio and live statistics 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 - 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.