Game #23
San Francisco Dons (9-13, 3-7 WCC) vs. San Diego Toreros (11-11, 4-6 WCC)
Saturday,  Jan. 31, 2015 • 5:00 p.m. PT
Jeny Craig Pavilion • San Diego, Calif.
Series Record: USF 40-35
Last Meeting: San Diego 57-56 (Jan. 1, 2015)
Audio/Video Streaming: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: CSNBA (Steve Quis, Play-by-Play; Corey Williams, Analyst)

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

The Dandy Dons

• Now 9-13 overall and 3-7 in the West Coast Conference after dropping a 78-74 decision Thursday at BYU...were 14-8 at the 22-game mark last season...ultimately finished at 21-12 and 13-5 WCC (t-2nd).
• Have lost two straight games by a combined total of five points...four of the seven conference losses have been by six points or fewer (12 total).
• Were 14-8 at the 22-game mark last season...ultimately finished at 21-12 and 13-5 WCC (t-2nd).
• Looking to rebound from a 57-56 loss to the Toreros on New Year's Night in San Francisco...USF has won nine out of the last 11 games in the series, including five straight inside Jenny Craig Pavilion.
• Are 3-8 away from Memorial Gymnasium this season (2-6 road; 1-2 neutral)...two of the team's three conference wins have come on the road (Pacific and Portland).
• Have combined to shoot 49.6 (78-for-157) from the floor over the last three games...shooting 46.4 percent from the field this season, which ranks fourth in the WCC behind Gonzaga and BYU.
• Outrebounded BYU, 41-38 on Thursday...however, have been outrebounded in seven of its first 10 conference games after outboarding 10 of its first 12 opponents...were +9.7 on the boards vs. non-conference foes and are -2.8 vs. the first 10 conference opponents...rank fifth in the WCC in rebound average (36.3) and are sixth in rebound margin (+3.2).
• Three players - Matt Glover (5.6), Kruize Pinkins (5.5), and Mark Tollefsen (5.4) - are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game while Tim Derksen is averagaing 4.9.
• Were 5-of-21 from three-point range at BYU...have made just 16-of-67 (23.9) three-point attempts over the last four games, dipping the season percentage to 36.0, which ranks sixth in the WCC...shooting just 30.2 percent from beyond the arc in conference play.
• Have allowed eight opponents to make at least nine three-pointers in a game...opponents shooting 36.1 percent from long distance on the season, including 36.9 in WCC play.
• Have made 30-of-50 (60.0) free throws in losing last two games by a combined total of six points...shooting 60.4 percent from the line, which ranks 10th in the WCC...are slightly better in conference play at 66.7 percent, which includes a 28-for-32 effort at Portland.
• Freshman Devin Watson has started each of the last eight games and is averaging 11.6 ppg (93 total) in his starting assignments.
• Junior Mark Tollefsen made 10-of-14 shots from the field en route to scoring 22 points at BYU...he is 19-of-26 (73.0) from the floor over the last two games and now ranks fourth in the WCC in field goal percentage at 54.8 percent.

Notables

Opening Tip
USF (9-13, 3-7 WCC) wraps up a two-game road trip Saturday when the Dons meet the San Diego Toreros (11-11, 4-6 WCC) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. Tip-of is set for 5:00 p.m. The Dons are coming off a 78-74 loss Thursday night at BYU while the Toreros downed Santa Clara at home, 69-64.

Series History with San Diego
USF leads the all-time series with San Diego, 40-35. San Diego won the first meeting of the the season between the two schools, 57-56 on New Year's Night in San Francisco. However, USF has won nine out of the last 11 contests vs. the Toreros, including three wins last year, 64-62 in San Francisco (1/18), 74-64 in San Diego (2/6) and 69-60 in the quarterfinals of the WCC Championship in Las Vegas. USF has won five straight over the Toreros in San Diego dating back to the 2009-10 season.

First Meeting With San Diego
USF fell to San Diego, 57-56 on New Year's Night in Memorial Gymnasium. The Dons built a 33-28 lead at halftime, but managed to shoot just 28.6 percent in scoring 23 second half points. The Toreros took their first lead of the game at 44-43 with 12:11 remaining and led by four at 55-51 with 3:01 left. The Dons came up empty on their next five possessions, however had a chance to win the game in the final seconds before Chris Anderson stole the ball from Matt Glover, preserving the Toreros one-point victory. Mark Tollefsen led all scorers with 14 points while Matt Glover added 11 to go along with nine rebounds. No San Diego player scored in double figures, including Johnny Dee, who managed just four points on the night. USF's leading scorer, Kruize Pinkins, was plagued by foul trouble and finished with just seven points and two rebounds.
 
Last Time Out
USF dropped a 78-74 decision at BYU on Thursday night. The two teams were never separated by more than eight points during the course of the game but it was an uphill struggle for the Dons, whose last lead in the game was at 8-6 3:56 into the game. Trailing 71-70 with 2:16 left, USF had two chances to tie or take the lead three times in the game's final minutes, but came up empty on each possession. The two teams combined to make just 8-of-41 three-point attempts and were whistled for 50 fouls. BYU made 23-of-33 free throws to fend off the Dons' upset bid. Mark Tollefsen led all USF scorers with 22 points while Matt Christiansen scored a career high 13 points off the bench. Devin Watson and Chris Adams each finished with 10. Matt Glover pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Tyler Haws scored a game-high 28 points for BYU while Anson Winder added 11.

The Record
At 9-13 overall, USF is five games off its pace from last season when the Dons were 14-8 at the 22-game mark. USF ultimately finishing with a 21-12 overall mark and tied for second in the WCC with a 13-5 conference ledger. After a 3-0 start, USF is 6-13 over its last 18 games and has not won back-to-back games since its 3-0 start.

The Wins
Of USF's nine wins this season, eight have been by double digit margins and an average of 23.4 points (82.2 to 58.8). 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 double digit victories over Hawaii (88-73), Montana (76-57), Portland (89-77) and Pepperdine (71-59).

The Losses
Of USF's nine conference losses, four have been by six points or fewer and a combined total of 12 points. USF  has lost a pair of one-point games to San Diego (57-56) and LMU (70-69) on its home floor, dropped a six point decision at Santa Clara (70-64) and fell by four points at BYU (78-74). 

The Road Record
USF is 3-8 away from Memorial Gymnasium this season (2-6 road; 1-2 neutral). Two of the Dons' three conference wins have come at Pacific (77-71) and at Portland (89-77). USF is 12-7 in its last 19 conference road games dating back to the 2012-13 season.

Dons Defensively
USF ranks seventh overall in the WCC in points allowed per game (68.2). After limiting 12 non-conference opponents to 38.9 percent shooting from the floor, the first 10 WCC foes have clipped the nets at 47.0 percent. USF ranks fourth overall in field goal defense at 42.5 percent.

Defending the Three
After allowing BYU to make 15-of-28 three-pointers in the first meeting between the schools on Jan. 3, the Dons held the Cougars to just 15 percent (3-of-20) shooting from beyond the arc on Thursday night. For the season, USF is allowing opponents to shoot 36.1 percent from three-point range, which ranks eighth in the WCC.  The first 10 WCC opponents have clipped the nets at 36.9 percent from long distance. Eight opponents have made at least nine three-pointers against USF this season.

Board Work
After outrebounding 10 of its 12 opponents by 8.3 boards a game, USF has been outrebounded in seven of its first 10 conference games, 34.5 to 31.7. USF ranks fifth the WCC in rebound average at 36.3 per game and sixth in rebound margin (+3.2). However, USF is being outboarded by 3.2 per game in conference action.  In nine wins this season, USF has held a decisive advantage on the boards (38.4-30.4). Three players - Matt Glover (5.6), Kruize Pinkins (5.5), and Mark Tollefsen (5.4) - are averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game while Tim Derksen is averagaing 4.9. All four players have pulled down 10 or more rebounds in a game this season.

From the Field
USF has combined to shoot 49.6 (78-for-157) from the floor over the last three games and is shooting 46.4 percent from the field this season, which ranks fourth in the WCC behind Gonzaga and BYU. The Dons shot 53.2 percent from the floor against Pepperdine, marking the first time in 13 games the Dons managed to hit the 50 percent mark. USF has shot 50 percent or better from the floor just five times this season. Mark Tollefsen, who made 10-of-14 shots from the field en route to scoring 22 point night at BYU, is 19-of-26 (73.0) from the floor over the last two games. He now ranks fourth in the WCC in field goal percentage at 54.8 percent.

From the Line
USF is shooting 60.4 percent from the foul line, which ranks last in the WCC and is the fifth-lowest percentate among 345 Division I teams. The Dons are slightly better in conference action at 66.7 percent. USF has made just 143-of-265 (53.9) of their free throws in 13 losses which have come by a total of 142 points. USF's 503 free throw attempts is the 28th highest total in the country among Division I teams.

Beyond the Arc
USF has made just 16-of-67 (23.8) of its three-point attempts over the last four games and now ranks sixth in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at .360 (144-for-400). The Dons are shooting 43.6 percent (71-for-163) from long distance in nine wins this season and are shooting just 30.8 percent (73-for-237) from beyond the arc in 13 losses.

Bench Scoring
USF's bench has been outscored in seven of the last nine games by an average of 21.3 to 13.6 points per game (192-123).

D-Watz
Freshman Devin Watson has started each of the last eight games at the point guard postion and is averaging 11.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in those seven games. He is the Dons third-leading scorer in conference play at 11.5 ppg, trailing only Mark Tollefsen (14.5) and Kruize Pinkins (13.5). Watson now ranks as the Dons fourth-leading scorer on the season at 8.0 points per game. He scored a career high 21 points in USF's 89-77 win at Portland on Jan. 10.