SPOKANE, Wash./SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Rested up and set for two more crucial road games, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (20-6, 10-3 WCC) will begin its week in Spokane with a matchup at Gonzaga (18-7, 9-3 WCC) on Thursday night before heading south to San Diego (4-22, 1-12 WCC) to battle the Toreros on Saturday evening.
 
GAME 27 DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025
Time: 8:00 pm PT
Opponent: Gonzaga (18-7, 9-3 WCC)
Location: McCarthey Athletic Center / Spokane, Wash.
Watch: ESPN (Dave Flemming, Dan Dickau)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
GAME 28 DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm PT
Opponent: San Diego (4-22, 1-12 WCC)
Location: Jenny Craig Pavilion / San Diego, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+ (Jack Cronin, Johnny Dee)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson)
Live Stats: SIDEARM Sports
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco picked up its fourth straight victory in its last time on the hardwood as the Dons fended off a late rally from LMU to defeat the Lions, 72-66, at Gersten Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 8. Marcus Williams paced the offense with a game-high 19 points while Tyrone Riley IV pulled down a team-high eight rebounds in the win.
• Following another strong week on the boards along with a 2-0 record against Saint Mary's and LMU, Riley IV was named WCC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season on Monday, Feb. 10. Overall, the freshman grabbed nine rebounds in USF's 65-64 victory over SMC on Thursday, Feb. 6 before finishing with eight rebounds against LMU 48 hours later. Additionally, the first-year guard added 12 points, 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 block and shot 6-of-7 (85.7 percent) from the free throw line across the two games.
• After taking down Saint Mary's to remain perfect at home on the Hilltop last week, the green and gold are looking for their first win over Gonzaga since Feb. 2012 (66-65) and their first win in Spokane since Feb. 1989 (67-64) under former head coach and current USF radio broadcaster Jim Brovelli.
• With a win over Gonzaga on Thursday night, San Francisco would knock off Saint Mary's and Gonzaga in the same season for the first time since 1997-98 when the Dons beat SMC at home followed by a victory over Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament championship game. Notably, this was also the last season in which the green and gold won the conference tournament title along with earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• Gonzaga got it done on the road in their last time out as the Bulldogs handled Pacific, 78-61, on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton. Five players finished in double figures for GU led by Brayden Huff with 17 points and Khalif Battle with 16 points, who also went a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
• With eight assists in the win at Pacific on Saturday, Ryan Nembhard passed his own school-record for assists in a single-season with 244. Heading into Thursday night, he now sits at 246 on the season, which includes an average of 9.8 assists per game - both of which are first in Division I. Right behind, his 4.39 assist-to-turnover ratio (only 56 total turnovers) is good for second in the nation.
• As a unit, Gonzaga is currently first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.00) and second in assists per game (19.4). Additionally, GU is second in the country in points per game (87.2), sixth in free-throw percentage (80.5) and eighth in field goal percentage (49.5).
• Battle comes into the new week ranking sixth in the country from the free throw line at 93.2 percent (first in WCC). Additionally, Graham Ike (59.3 percent) and Huff (56.3 percent) are currently first and second in the WCC in field goal percentage while Nolan Hickman tops the league shooting 44.8 percent (30-of-67) from beyond-the-arc in conference play.
• Recently, Graham Ike was named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Top 10 Watch List while Nembhard was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 10 Watch List. Both were also named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watchlist, which is given out annually to the outstanding men's college basketball player by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

SCOUTING THE TOREROS:

• On the road in the Bay Area last week, San Diego fell at Santa Clara, 93-70, on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Leavey Center. Despite the loss, Steven Jamerson II paced the Toreros by tying his season-high with 21 points on 70 percent (7-10) shooting from the floor. Additionally, the center also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to go along with one steal.
• San Diego can use a variety of ways to attack the opposing defense as six different Toreros have scored 20+ this season, eight different players have led the team in scoring at least once and nine different players have finished in double figures multiple times.
• In his third year at the helm of the Toreros, Steve Lavin has used 13 different starting lineup combinations so far this season featuring 15 different players.
• USD has received contributions up and down the roster this year as San Diego comes into the contest ranked second in the conference with an average of 28.8 bench points per game. Additionally, the Toreros also like to get out and run as they rank second in the league in fastbreak points per game (13.4).
• San Diego will first travel north to Pepperdine for a matchup with the Waves at Firestone Fieldhouse on Thursday.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday night will mark the 97^th meeting all-time between San Francisco and Gonzaga as the Bulldogs hold a 74-22 advantage in the series heading into the matchup. San Francisco last defeated Gonzaga (66-65) on Feb. 18, 2012 on the Hilltop, but the Dons have not won in Spokane since Jim Brovelli coached the green and gold to a 67-64 victory at The Kennel on Feb. 10, 1989. Over the past three seasons, San Francisco and Gonzaga have met in the semifinal round of the West Coast Conference tournament, with the Bulldogs prevailing to the championship round all three times.
• Saturday night will mark the 95^th meeting all-time between San Francisco and San Diego as the Dons hold a 53-41 advantage in the series heading into the matchup. San Francisco previously defeated the Toreros this season, 81-69, at home on the Hilltop on Jan. 25. Overall, USF has won nine of its last ten against USD dating back to Jan. 2020. 

FOLLOW US:
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MERCHANDISE:
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SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Twenty Five Ventures - 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.