SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Returning to the Hilltop following back-to-back road wins, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (6-6, 3-0 WCC) hosts Saint Mary's (8-5, 4-0 WCC) at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2, and Pepperdine (5-7, 0-3 WCC) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

GAME 13 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Opponent: Saint Mary's
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here

GAME 14 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Opponent: Pepperdine
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 is coming off back-to-back road wins, defeating LMU and Santa Clara to remain undefeated in WCC play with a 3-0 record. The Dons dismantled the Broncos on Monday, Dec. 30, earning a 65-53 triumph for its third straight double-digit victory.
• Freja Werth reached the 20-point threshold for the third time this season as she posted 22 points while adding eight rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block in the win at Santa Clara. In her previous three seasons of collegiate basketball, Werth has only scored 20 or more points in a game once, with 20 against Columbia in the 2023-24 season. She also continues to lead the program in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game.
• Emma Trawally Porta scored 17 points on 50 percent shooting in the win at Santa Clara. For the third straight game, ninth overall, Trawally Porta shot 50 percent or better from the field. In three WCC games, she ranks third in the conference in field-goal percentage at 55.9 percent. 
• Debora dos Santos recorded a career-high five blocks in the win at Santa Clara on Monday, Dec. 30, surpassing her previous best of four. Dos Santos also becomes the first player to record five or more blocks in a game for the Dons since Lucija Kostic also totaled five in a win over Morgan State on November 9, 2021. Overall, dos Santos leads the team and ranks fifth in the WCC in total blocks with 19.
• Notably, San Francisco has won four straight overall and is 3-0 in WCC action, with each of its wins coming by double digits. The Dons have won their first three WCC games for the first time since the 2000-01 season.

SCOUTING THE GAELS:

• Saint Mary's enters Thursday's contest as one of three remaining undefeated teams in the WCC with a 4-0 league record. The first-place Gaels are coming off a 10-point win over San Diego, 75-65, on Saturday, Dec. 30.
• Kennedy Johnson leads Saint Mary's in scoring, averaging 14 points per game. Johnson has posted double-figure scoring in 11 of the last 13 games, including a season-high 25 in an overtime win at Santa Clara on December 19, 2024. She also leads the Gaels in rebounding at 5.6 per game while posting a team-leading 24 steals and seven blocks.
• Maia Jones ranks second on the team in scoring average at 11.3 points per game after only averaging 6.9 as a red-shirt freshman in 2023-24. A threat from beyond the arc, Jones ranks second on the team in three-point percentage at 40 percent.
• Zeryhia Aokuso, the reigning WCC Freshman of the Year, totaled a combined six points in five games to begin the season. Since only posting two points against California Baptist on December 7, 2024, Aokuso is averaging 13.5 points per game while recording a season-best 21 in the double-digit win over San Diego last Saturday.

SCOUTING THE WAVES:

• Losing four straight games, including three to WCC opponents, Pepperdine enters the week tied for last place in the conference standings with a 0-3 record. The Waves are coming off two straight road games, falling at Washington State and Gonzaga.
• Ella Brubaker averaged 16.0 points against Washington State and Gonzaga this past week. The senior guard hit seven-of-12 from three-point range for the week. Through 12 games, Brubaker leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game.
• Chloe Sotell ranks first on the team in assists, totaling 31 in 12 games. She recorded seven assists against Gonzaga to improve her assist/turnover ratio to 2.8, fifth best in the WCC in conference games.
• On the glass, four players average over four rebounds per game, with Makena Mastora compiling a team-leading 4.8.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Saint Mary's leads the all-time series against San Francisco, with a 48-33 record since the first-ever meeting in the 1985-86 season. The Dons, however, have dominated recently, winning eight of the last 10 meetings, including a season sweep of the Gaels in 2023-24. 
• San Francisco holds a narrow advantage over Pepperdine in the all-time series with a 47-42 record in 89 meetings. The Dons have won seven of the last eight games against the Waves, dating back to the 2020-21 season.

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 – 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.