Game #13
San Francisco Dons (6-6, 0-0 WCC) at Pacific Tigers (8-4, 0-0 WCC)
Saturday,  Dec. 27, 2014 • 3:00 p.m.
Spanos Center • Stockton, Calif.
Series Record: USF 62-34
Last Meeting: USF 64-59 (Feb. 22, 2014)
Audio/Video Streaming: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: CSNCA (Glen Kuiper, Play-by-Play; Dan Belluomini, Analyst)

Complete USF Game Notes | Complete Pacific Game Notes

The Dandy Dons

• Bring a 6-6 record into Saturday's WCC opener at Pacific...coming off a 69-65 overtime loss at Cleveland State on Sunday and are 3-6 over last nine games after a 3-0 start.
• Were 7-5 at the 12-game mark of last season and won game 13 to improve to 8-5 overall.
• Open the 63rd season of West Coast Conference action on Saturday at Pacific...two schools have met 95 times with USF holding a 62-34 edge in series...Dons swept season series last year.
• A charter member of the WCC, USF has claimed 15 regular season titles and one WCC Tournament title the 15 regular season crowns are second only to Gonzaga's 17 in league history.
• Have four wins this season by 30-points or more and have won six games this season by an average of 30.1 points.
• Have lost both true road games this season at Colorado, 72-55 on Dec. 3 and at Cleveland State last Sunday...are 1-2 in neutral court games, all coming at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla.
• Are 10-3 in its last 13 conference road games dating back to the 2012-13 season.
• Have outrebounded 10 of 12 opponents this season...were even vs. Florida Gulf Coast and were outrebounded by Cal Poly...rank second the WCC in rebound average at 41.0 and are third in rebound margin (+8.2).
• Three players - Kruize Pinkins (6.8), Mark Tollefsen (5.8) and Matt Glover (5.8) - are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game while Tim Derksen is averagaing 4.8.
• Shooting 47.5 percent from the floor, third-best in the WCC...have shot 50 percent or better in four games this season, including a season-high 64.9 effort vs. Montana.
• Have attempted the 19th most free throws (290) in the nation but have the second-lowest free throw percentage among Division I teams at 55.9 (162-290).
• Have made just 47.6 percent (61-for-128) of their free throws in six losses which have come by an average of 9.1 points (55 total).
• Rank second in the WCC in field goal defense (.388) but are ninth in three-point defense (.353)....allowing just 63.6 points per game, third lowest average in the league.
• Senior Kruize Pinkins continues to lead the team in scoring (16.5) and rebounding (6.8)...he ranks in the top-10 in three WCC statistical categories, including scoring (7th), rebounding (5th) and offensive rebounds (2nd; 3.1).
• Junior Mark Tollefsen has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season and ranks second behind Pinkins in scoring average at 15.2 ppg...he is tied for first in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage (50.0; 20-40) and is fifth in field goal percentage (56.7).
• Have used four different lineups in 12 games thus far this season...used three starting combos all of last season.

Notables

Opening Tip
USF (6-6, 0-0 WCC) will open its 63rd season of West Coast Conference play Saturday afternoon against the Pacific Tigers (8-4, 0-0 WCC). Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Spanos Center in Stockton. The Dons are coming off a 69-65 overtime loss at Cleveland State last Sunday while the Tigers posted a 71-68 victory over Fresno State last Saturday in Stockton.

Series History with Pacific
In a series that dates back to the 1911-12 season, USF leads the all-time series with Pacific, 62-34. USF swept the season series last year, posting an 81-72 overtime victory in Stockton and winning 64-59 on the Hilltop. However, Pacific holds a 10-5 edge in the last 15 games in the series dating back to the 2000-01 season. Two of the charter members of the WCC, USF and Pacific met 44 times as conference foes from 1952-71, with the Dons holding a 30-14 advantage.

Last Year's Games vs. Pacific
In the first meeting between the two schools, USF rallied from a 36-30 halftime deficit to defeat Pacific, 81-72 in overtime on Jan. 9 in Stockton. The Dons outscored the Tigers, 18-9 in the extra period to earn it third straight victory. Three Dons scored in double figures, led by Avry Holmes, who scored 18 points to go along with eight assists. Matt Glover finished with 16 points and nine rebounds while Cole Dickerson chipped in 14 points to go along with eight rebounds. USF held Pacific to 31.6 percent shooting for the game, including 25 percent (9-for-36) after intermission.

USF completed the season sweep with a 64-59 victory on the Hilltop on Feb. 22. Holmes scored a team-high 15 points while Dickerson posted his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Mark Tollefsen added 11. The Dons built a 33-21 lead at intermission only to see the Tigers tie the game at 34-34 with a 13-1 run to start the second half. It was a one possession game for the remainder of the contest until Tollefsen knocked down two free throws with :09 left to account for the final score of 64-59.

Last Time Out
USF dropped a 69-65 overtime decision Sunday at Cleveland State, the team's third loss in in its last four games. The Dons had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but a misfires by Tim Derksen and Matt Glover near the buzzer sent the game into an extra period. USF did not make a field goal and turned the ball over three times in the overtime period. USF was led in scoring by Mark Tollefsen's 17 points while Derksen and Matt Christiansen added 11. Kruize Pinkins was plagued by foul trouble and finished with just nine points in 22 minutes. The Vikings benefitted from nine three-pointers.

Charter Members of the WCC
USF is one of four charter schools in the West Coast Conference, along with Santa Clara, Saint Mary's and Pacific, which rejoined the league last season after previously holding membership from 1952-71. USF has won/shared 15 regular season WCC titles, second most in league history behind Gonzaga's 17. The Dons 15 regular season crowns were won during a 27-year period from  1954-81. USF's only WCC Tournament title came in 1997-98.

The Start
At 6-6, USF is one game off its pace at the 12-game mark of last season when the Dons closed the non-conference schedule with a 7-5 record. USF won their 13th game of the season at Portland to improve to 8-5 on the year before suffering a 69-41 setback at Gonzaga in game No. 14.

The Wins
USF's six wins this season have come by an average of 30.1 points (83.8 to 53.7). The Dons have posted four wins of 30 points or more against South Carolina State (91-52), Notre Dame de Namur (86-46), Houston Baptist (85-54) and Portland State (77-40) and also own decisive victories over Hawaii (88-73) and Montana (76-57).

The Formula
The Dons tied for second in the WCC last season with a 13-5 conference mark. The 13 wins were the most by a USF team since the 1976-77 team posted a perfect 14-0 record in conference play. Last season, the Dons swept Portland, Santa Clara, Pacific, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine and San Diego, earned a split with Saint Mary's and were swept by Gonzaga and BYU.

WCC Road Record
USF is 10-3 in its last 13 conference road games dating back to the 2012-13 season. The Dons finished the 2012-13 season with four straight conference road wins at Pepperdine, BYU, Loyola Marymount and San Diego and went 6-3 in conference road games last year, suffering setbacks at Gonzaga, BYU and Saint Mary's. The Dons are 13-13 in true road games dating back to the 2012-13 season.

The Defensive Numbers
USF allowed a season-low 40 points aganst Portland State, which was the lowest point total by an opponent since the Dons defeated Cal State-East Bay, 80-40 on Jan. 3, 2009. USF ranks third in the WCC in points allowed per game (63.6) and second in field goal defense (.388). The Dons also rank fourth in steals per game (6.7) and are eighth in blocks (2.5).

Board Work
The Dons have outrebounded 10 of 12 opponents this season and rank second the WCC in rebound average at 40.1 per game. USF also ranks third among WCC teams in rebound margin, outboarding its first 12  oponents on margin of 8.2 per game. The Dons also rank second in the conference in offensive rebounds with a 12.8 per game mark. Three players - Kruize Pinkins (6.8), Mark Tollefsen (5.8) and Matt Glover (5.8) - are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game while Tim Derksen is averagaing 4.8. All four players have all pulled down 10+ rebounds in a game this season.

From the Field
The Dons are shooting 47.5 percent from the field this season which is the third best mark in the WCC. USF shot 55.6 percent from the field vs. Houston Baptist, marking the fourth time this season USF has shot 50 percent or better from the floor. Mark Tollefsen (5th; 56.7) and Kruize Pinkins (7th; 55.8) both rank in the top-10 among WCC playes in field goal percentage.

Free Throw Woes
USF is shooting just 55.9 percent (162-290) from the line at the 12 game mark of the season, which ranks last in the WCC and is the second worst mark in the naton among 345 Division I teams. Only Savannah State (54.1) has a lower percentage. The Dons have shot just 47.6 percent (61-for-128) from the line in its six losses which have come by an average of 9.1 points (55 total), including one overtime defeat. USF's 290 free throw attempts are tied for the 19th highest total in the nation. 

Beyond the Arc
The Dons have made 19-of-40 (47.5) of its three-point attempts over the last two games against Portland State (10-for-24) and Cleveland State (9-for-16). USF now leads the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at .408 (89-for-218). Junior Mark Tollefsen (50.0; 20-for-40) is tied for first in the conference in three-point field goal percentage.

The Lineups
Head coach Rex Walters has employed four different starting lineps this season. Corey Hilliard has started the last two games at the point while Derrell Roberston (5) and Matt Christiansen (4) have combined to start nine games in the middle. Senior Chris Adams drew his first starting assignment of the year against Evansville. The Dons utilized three starting lineups all of last season.