No. 6 San Francisco (17-12) vs. No. 3 Pacific (21-8)Thursday, March 5 | 6 p.m. | The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas
Television: BYUtv | Live stream:
theW.tv | Audio:
usfdons.com/liveComplete game notes (PDF)The Buzz
The Dons look to open the postseason in the same fashion in which they closed the regular season - with a victory over the Pacific Tigers. Playing as the No. 6 seed, USF looking to win its first game in the WCC Championships for the third-straight year - going up against the No. 3 Tigers in the quarterfinal round. Fans in Vegas are invited to attend the pre-game tailgate near the front entrance of the Orleans Arena, beginning at 4 p.m. [
watch the video preview]
Dons in the WCC Championships
USF sports a 16-18 all-time record in the WCCÂ Championships, and the Dons are riding back-to-back seasons with first round victories in the postseason. Last year, USF benefited from late-game heroics to take down Loyola Marymount before falling to the eventual champions from Gonzaga 81-68 in the quarterfinals.
Since the post-season tournament found a home in Las Vegas in 2009, USF holds a 2-6 record at the Orleans Arena.
All-Time Versus
The Dons face off with Pacific for the first time ever in the WCC postseason. The Tigers are one of two teams that USF has never faced in the conference tournament (BYU).
School   Record (Last)     Â
BYU ... 0-0
Gonzaga ... 2-2 (2014; L 68-81)
Loyola Marymount ... 4-4 (2014; W 63-62)
Pacific ... 0-0
Pepperdine ... 3-2 (2013; W 80-48)
Portland ... 4-0 (1997; W 65-59 OT)
Saint Mary's ... 2-1 (1998; L 62-70)
San Diego ... 1-2 (2009; L 64-73)
Santa Clara ... 0-7 (2012; L 58-62)
OVERALL ... 16-18
Sowing Seeds
USF's No. 6 seed is a first for the highest seeding the Dons have acquired since 2005. As the No. 6 in the WCC Championships, USF is seeking its first win.Â
Seed    Record (Years)              Â
No. 1 Â Â Â 3-0 (1995)
No. 2 Â Â Â 7-1 (1992, '96, '97)
No. 3 Â Â Â 0-0
No. 4 Â Â Â 1-2 (2002, '03)
No. 5 Â Â Â 1-1 (2001)
No. 6 Â Â Â 0-3 (1998, 2000, '05)
No. 7 Â Â Â 2-6 (2004, '06, '07,'08, '09, '10)
No. 8 Â Â Â 2-5 (1999, 2011, '12, '13, '14)
No. 9 Â Â Â 0-0
No. 10 Â Â Â 0-0
History
The Dons earned three-straight titles in the 90s,defeating Portland for the crown in 1995, '96 and '97. USF was the first two-time tournament winner and is only matched by Gonzaga for consecutive championship titles (2009, '10, 0'11).
The Dons have earned four post-season tournament bids, advancing to the 1995 NCAA First Round, 1996 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, 1997 NCAA First Round and the 2002 WNIT First Round. This season, USF is hoping to be rewarded for its best season since 2002 with a berth to continue the season.
#WeAreSF
The Dons have two women averaging double-digit scoring, paced by
Taylor Proctor's team-leading 15.8 points on .484 shooting and 7.8 rebounds a night. Proctor ranks in the WCC top six in all three categories.
Taj Winston puts up 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Her steals average is good for first in the league and 42nd in the NCAA.Â
As a team, USF is connecting on 75.9 percent of its free throw attempts, 13th nationally, paced by
Paige Spietz' percentage of 85.0 (31st in NCAA).
Know the Foe
Pacific enters the WCC Championships with an impressive 21-8 record, and a 13-5 mark in WCC play. The Tigers are paced by First Team All-WCC selection Kendall Kenyon's double-double averages of 13. 8 points and 11.2 rebounds a game.Â
She is joined in double-figure scoring output by Hallie Eackles (11.6 ppg) and Madison Parrish (10.2 ppg) and the team is scoring at a clip of 70.8 points a night, second in the league. Â Parrish (4.3 apg) and Kristina Johnson (4.2 apg) are second and third in the conference, respectively, in assists per game.
Pacific Remix - Part One
It was all Tigers in the first meeting of the season, back in the opening game of the conference slate. On that day, Pacific dominated the Dons with a final score of 92-54, and Kendall Kenyon paced all performers with 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, 15 rebounds and six blocks.Â
Pacific Remix - Part TwoÂ
In USF's rematch with the Tigers in Stockton, the Dons turned the tables and turned in a dominating 91-79 win on Senior Day in Stockton.
USF opened the day with a layup from
Taylor Proctor and the Dons set the stage for an offensive output not seen since in two decades. The last time the Dons eclipsed 90 points over a conference opponent was in a 93-77 victory over Gonzaga during the 1994-95 campaign.
Proctor paced a handful of Dons who reached double-figure scoring. The junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season. She finished the day shooting 10-of-14 from the field, and making 6-of-7 free throw attempts.
The Last Time ...
USF is rolling through a season that hasn't been matched in some time, including owning a winning overall record for the first time since 2002's WNIT bid.Â
The Dons opened the year 3-0 - 1983-84
The Dons won seven in a row at home - 1996-97
The Dons had 10 wins at home - 2007-08
The Dons posted a winning season - 2001-02
The Dons finished WCC play 6th or better - 2004-05
All the Action. Anytime. Anywhere.
Sure you can catch the action on theW.tv all season long, or you can tune in to see USF's first team All-WCC performer
Taylor Proctor. The junior from Colorado Springs, Colo., serves as the can-do leader on the court for the Dons, pacing the team in points, rebounds and shooting percentage. Earlier this season, she went over the 1,000 point scoring mark as well as the 500 rebound plateau.
It's Academic
Senior
Paige Spietz picked up her second straight nod as a WCC All-Academic first team performer. She maintains a 3.41 gpa for her work in the classroom, graduating with a degree in environmental science from USF. Sophomore
Rachel Howard and graduate student
Alicia Scafidi earned honorable mention honors.
60 Minutes
USF's four-overtime thriller with Gonzaga on Feb. 7 stands as the longest game in WCC women's basketball history, and the longest contest in NCAA Division 1 this season. The last quadruple overtime contest was a non-conference game in which Baylor and Kentucky racked up a gargantuan score of 130-133 on Dec. 6, 2013, with the Wildcats earning the hard-fought road victory.
Milestones
In the Dons' home contest against BYU on Jan. 29, USF junior
Taylor Proctor and senior
Taj Winston both joined the 1,000-point club. The exclusive list of 20 women is headlined by Mary Hile-Nepfel's school record - regardless of gender - of 2,326 points.Â
Jump Around
As was the trend last season, USF has been solid on the opening tip, with the Dons winning 25-of-29 - 86.2 Â percent - of jumps from the circle thus far. Three of their miscues were all at home: vs. Nevada on Nov. 25, vs. Gonzaga on Jan. 8, and most recently vs. Loyola Marymount on Feb. 19. The only road tip lost was at Pacific on Feb. 26, a game in which the Dons won.
A Lasting Legacy - NCAA Silver AnniversaryÂ
USF head coach
Jennifer Azzi, who led Stanford to two Pac-10 Conference championships and the first NCAA women's basketball championship in school history, was one of six former student-athletes who received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award for their collegiate and professional achievements in Washington D.C, on Jan. 16.
USF Hall of Fame
Bill Nepfel, former head coach for the Dons, entered the USF Athletic Hall of Fame on Feb. 6. Nepfel presided over the most successful stretch in the history of the USF women's basketball program. Serving as co-head coach with his wife, Mary Hile-Nepfel during a 13-year period from 1987-2000, the Dons compiled a 196-166 (.541) record, won or shared three WCC regular season titles, captured three WCC Tournaments and made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.Â
Spanning the Globe
USF welcomed four newcomers to the 2014-15 squad - California product
Tiara Tucker, JUCO All-American
Chelsey Jacox and the first two international student-athletes to play for the Dons under head  coach
Jennifer Azzi,
Anna Seilund and
Michaela Rakova.
Continuing the European connection, USF inked Ninni Salmi during the early signing period. Salmi hails from Finland. Along with Salmi, the Dons also scooped up West Coast talents Jaylin Jones (El Dorado HS/Placentia, Calif.) and Dagny McConnell (Beaverton HS/Beaverton, Ore.).
On the Horizon
Should USF take its third consecutive victory on the first day of the WCC Championships, the Dons would face off with the winner of No. 2 San Diego vs. No. 7/10 in the semifinals. The last appearance for the Dons in the penultimate game of the league tournament came in 2007, a semifinal loss to Gonzaga.Â
On the Air
Listen to longtime voice of the Dons,
George Devine, behind the mic all season long. Devine is in his 19th season as the play-by-play voice of USF women's basketball.
Watch all home games on theW.tv/live, in partnership with Silver Chalice/Campus Insiders. Get in on the action for both home and away contests at usfdons.com/LIVE. Catch all the action at theW.tv!
