CORVALLIS/PORTLAND, Ore. – Looking to make program history, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (8-6, 5-0 WCC) will head to the Beaver State for a two-game road trip, facing Oregon State (7-9, 3-2 WCC) on Thursday night and Portland (5-12, 0-4 WCC) on Saturday night.

GAME 15 DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Oregon State
Location: Gill Coliseum / Corvallis, Ore.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
GAME 16 DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025
Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Portland
Location: Chiles Center / Portland, Ore.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco has had its best start to conference play in nearly three decades. It has won its first five games of WCC action, all by double digits, and is riding a six-game win streak overall. The Dons are the only undefeated team in the WCC.
• Last time out, San Francisco handily beat Pepperdine in a 76-60 contest last Saturday at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center, behind Debora dos Santos' season-high 26 points and Freja Werth's 22 points on a season-high 70.0 percent shooting from the field.
• Following a season-high 22-point performance last Thursday against Saint Mary's, Angeliki Ziaka earned WCC Freshman of the Week honors on Monday, averaging 15.5 points on 52.4 percent shooting from the field and 50.0 percent from distance in the two contests last week. The honor marked the third Player of the Week award earned by a Don this season.
• Within conference action, the green and gold boasts three of the WCC's top-10 scorers in Emma Trawally Porta (6th, 17.0 ppg), Debora dos Santos (7th, 16.8 ppg), and Freja Werth (8th, 16.0 ppg). Scoring efficiently, Trawally Porta (2nd, 54.8) and dos Santos (3rd, 54.2) both rank top-3 in the league in field goal percentage within WCC action. Dominating defensively, dos Santos also leads the WCC in blocks per game (2.8) and ranks third in rebounds per game (8.4) in conference play.
• As a unit, the Dons lead the WCC in three-pointers made per game (9.2), free throw percentage (80.9), and steals per game (11.6) within conference play, while ranking second in the league in points per game (77.2), opponent points per game (63.4), and scoring margin (13.8).
• Seeking history, a win for the green and gold on Thursday would match the program's best start to conference play, with the 1995-96 Dons starting WCC action 6-0 and reaching the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament that season. 

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS:

• Following a 4-7 non-conference slate, Oregon State has found more of a groove in WCC play, compiling a 3-2 conference record. Restarting conference action on December 28, the Beavers won three straight WCC games before losing 66-52 at Washington State last Saturday. Notably, each of Oregon State's three victories in conference play have come by four points or less.
• Senior forward Kelsey Rees is averaging a near double-double this season, leading the team with 13.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Two weeks ago, Rees took WCC Player of the Week honors after posting back-to-back 20-plus point performances in wins at Gonzaga (Dec. 28) and at Portland (Dec. 30).
• In conference action, Rees leads the WCC in both rebounds per game (9.6) and minutes per game (38.2), while ranking second in points per game (18.0) and seventh in field goal percentage (49.1).
• As a squad, Oregon State has been one of the WCC's best teams on the glass in conference play, leading the league in total rebounds per game (41.6), defensive rebounds per game (31.4), and rebounding margin (8.6). 

SCOUTING THE PILOTS:

• Coming off back-to-back WCC Tournament championships, Portland started this season winning its first 14 games before suffering back-to-back home losses against Oregon State and Gonzaga. Most recently, the Pilots snapped that two-game skid last Saturday, bouncing back with an 80-61 victory against LMU.
• Leading the charge offensively, graduate student guard Emme Shearer is averaging 16.5 points per game this season on 51.1/39.4/88.0 splits. Right behind her on the stat sheet is senior guard Maisie Burnham, averaging 15.9 points per game on 48.9/37.3/83.3 splits.
• As a team, Portland sits at 81st in the NCAA's NET Rankings, the highest-ranked WCC team, followed by USF at 99th. Within conference play, the Pilots lead the league in points per game (78.5), scoring margin (14.2), assists per game (21.8), turnovers forced per game (21.7), and opponent three-point percentage (25.8).
• Portland was originally scheduled to face Pepperdine in Malibu on Thursday, but the WCC announced on Tuesday that the contest would be postponed due to the ongoing Southern California fires.

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco and Oregon State will face off on Thursday night for just the fourth time in the last 17 years. The two schools last matched up on Dec. 3, 2020, in Corvallis, with the Beavers taking the 89-80 victory.
• The Dons and Pilots will meet for the 80th time in program history on Saturday night, with Portland holding a narrow 40-39 all-time series advantage. The two teams split the season series last season, with USF taking the 59-47 victory in the last meeting on Feb. 24, 2024, in Portland. 

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 US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor – Coca-Cola - for their continued support of San Francisco 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.