Game Information
San Francisco Dons (10-9, 4-5 WCC) vs. Portland Pilots (9-13, 3-6 WCC)
Thursday,  Jan. 28, 2016 • 7:00 p.m.
Chiles Center • Portland, Ore.
Series Record: USF 55-27
Last Meeting: Dec. 31, 2015 (USF 107-95)
Audio Stream: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Video Stream: TheW.tv (Travis Demers, Play-by-Play; Bill Krueger, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

Opening Tip
USF (10-9, 4-5 WCC) begins its second tour through the West Coast Conference on Thursday night as the Dons pay visit to the Portland Pilots (9-13, 3-6 WCC) at the Chiles Center. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be televised on CSN Northwest. The Dons are coming off a 74-61 victory last Thursday night at Santa Clara, while the Pilots dropped a pair of road games at Pacific (70-61) and Saint Mary's (89-74) following their 84-81 victory over BYU on Jan. 16. 

USF at a Glance

• Improved to 10-9 overall and 4-5 in the WCC with a 74-61 win at Santa Clara last Thursday...rallied from a 15-point first half deficit to snap a three-game losing streak.
• Enter the week tied with Pacific for fifth place in the conference standings...both teams are one game ahead of Portland (3-6) and LMU and one game behind BYU (5-3).
• Play the second of three straight road games on Thursday at Portland...are 3-4 on the road this season with wins at Ilinois-Chicago, San Diego and Santa Clara...are 16-10 in its last 26 WCC road games dating back to the 2012-13 season.
• Defeated Portland, 107-95 on Dec. 31 and are 10-2 vs. the Pilots dating back to the 2010-11 season...have also won five straight over the Pilots at the Chiles Center.
• Averaging 87.0 points (696 total) over its last eight games and rank fifth in the WCC in scoring at 76.4...averaging 83.1 ppg in nine WCC games but are also giving up 84.4 ppg to conference foes.
• Allowed Santa Clara just 61 points, the lowest by an opponent since USF limited CSUN to 61 on Dec. 7.
• Rallied from deficits of 19 (Pacific) and 15 (Portland, Santa Clara) points in three of four conference wins.
• Of the Dons 10 wins this season, five have been by a combined total of 19 points while four others have been by a combined total of 85 points...were 1-4 in games decided by five points or fewer last season.
• Have trailed at halftime in 14 of its 19 games this season and are 6-8 in those contests...are being outscored 705-612 and shooting 40.6 in the first half compared to the second when the Dons are outscoring the opponent 815-722 and shooting 48 percent from the floor after intermission.
• Sophomore point guard Devin Watson ranks second in the WCC and 23rd nationally in scoring average at 20.4 ppg..he has been in double-figures in 18 of 19 games this season including 11 games of at least 20-points...he also is the third-highest scoring sophomore in the nation.
• Senior guard Tim Derksen is averaging 15.3 ppg and 6.1 boards a game...he ranks eighth in the WCC in scoring, 10th in rebounding and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (43.7).
• The duo of Watson and Derksen is averaging 35.7 ppg (679 total) and account for 46.7 percent of USF's season point total (679 of 1451)...they are the second-highest scoring tandem in the WCC.
• Junior Ronnie Boyce has scored in double figures in eight of nine WCC games and is averaging 16.8 ppg in conference play.
• With 122 wins in seven-plus seasons on the Hilltop, Rex Walters is ranks fifth on USF's all-time career win list among coaches...he has coached 243 games, which ranks third all-time behind only Jim Brovelli (286) and Phil Mathews (262).
• Pacific Northwest trip continues Saturday night in Spokane, when the Dons face the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the McCarthy Athletic Center...return home for a non-conference game against Menlo College next Tuesday.

The Matchup

About Portland
Bring a 9-13 overall mark and a 3-5 conference record into Thursday night's game against USF…dropped road game last week at Pacific (70-61) and Saint Mary's (89-74)…have lost six of the last seven games after opening conference play with wins over Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine…also own a home win over BYU, 84-81 on Jan. 16…fourth-highest scoring team in the WCC averaging 78.0 points per game…however, giving up a conference-high 78.1 ppg to opponents…conference's fourth-best three-point shooting team behind Saint Mary's, BYU and Gonzaga…knocking down 37.1 percent of their three-point tries and make 9.4 threes a game, second-highest average in the conference  behind Saint Mary's (9.6) and 25th nationally…attempt 25.3 three-pointers a game…average 7.5 steals a game, tops in the WCC…junior point guard Alec Wintering ranks fifth in the WCC in scoring with a 17.7 per game mark…he also ranks fifth in assists (5.4) and second in steals (1.7)…Bryce Pressley is scoring 14.2 points a game, which ranks 13th in the conference...return seven letterwinners from last year's team which finished 17-16 overall and earned an invitational to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament…were picked to finish fifth in the WCC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

USF-Portland Series
In a series that dates back to the 1952-53 season, USF leads the all-time series with Portland, 55-27. The Dons are 25-7 vs. the Pilots dating back to the 2000-01 season and have won 10 out of the last 12 in the series, including a 107-95 victory in the first meeting between the two schools on Dec. 31 in San Francisco. The Dons have also won five straight games over Portland on The Bluff dating back to its last loss on Jan. 15, 2009 (78-60). USF and Portland split last year's season series, with the Dons claiming an 89-77 victory on Jan. 10 at the Chiles Center and the Pilots coming out on top 69-57 on the Hilltop.

First Meeting With Portland
Trailing by 15 points at 81-66 midway through the second half, USF outscored Portland 41-14 over the last 12:59 of the game to earn a 107-95 victory in War Memorial at The Sobrato Center. Five Dons scored in double figures, led by senior guard Tim Derksen's career high 27 points. Devin Watson finished with 22, Ronnie Boyce added 15 and Nate Renfro came off the bench to score a season high 13 points. Junior Dont'e Reynolds posted his second double-double of the season, scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. Alec Wintering scored a game high 31 points for Portland while Jazz Johnson came off the bench to score 22. Wintering was 15-of-15 from the line while Johnson nailed four three-pointers. Derksen scored 22 of his 27 points after intermission, including 15 in the decisive 41-14 run. After shooting 60.6 percent from the field in the first half, Portland managed to shoot just 26.5 percent and score 33 points in the second frame. The 107 points was the Dons highest scoring output since tallying a school record 129 points against Holy Names on Jan. 2, 2010. The 202 points also marked the second-highest scoring game in the USF-Portland series, behind the 217 points scored in Portland's 112-105 win on Feb. 6, 1992.

Worth Watching

• Thursday's game features two of the most entertaining point guards in the WCC in Devin Watson and Portland's Alec Wintering…Watson ranks second in the WCC and 23rd nationally in scoring (20.3) while Wintering ranks fifth in the conference with a 17.7 per game mark…Wintering scored 31 points (15-for-15 line) against USF on New Year's Eve while Watson finished with 22.
• Two teams combined for 202 points in USF's 107-95 win on New Year's Eve when the Dons rallied from a 15-point, 81-66 deficit with 12:59 left in the game…Dons outscored the Pilots 41-14 down the stretch.
• Portland makes on average 9.4 three-pointers a game while USF ranks 10th in the WCC in three-point field goal defense at 37.9.
• USF has won five straight games over Portland at the Chiles Center.

Dons' Notebook

The Record
At 10-9, USF is two games ahead of its pace of last season, when the Dons were 8-11 at the 19-game mark. The Dons won their 20th game of the season to improve to 9-11 but then dropped five straigt to fall to 9-16. At 4-5 in the WCC, the Dons are one game ahead of last year's conference pace when USF went 3-6 through their first loop.

The Road Record
USF 3-4 on the road this season with wins at Illinois-Chicago, San Diego and Santa Clara. The Dons are averaging 70.0 ppg and shooting 39.7 percent away from home this season while allowing 76.7 points a game to its opponent.

The Lineups
The quintet of Devin Watson-Ronnie Boyce-Tim Derksen-Uche Ofoegbu and Dont'e Reynolds has been intact for three consecutive games and six total of the season, giving the Dons four players no taller than 6-foot-4 in the starting five. A total of eight players have drawn starts this season with Devin Watson, Tim Derksen and Dont'e Reynolds holding their sports of all 19 games. Nate Renfro (10), Chase Foster (11), Ronnie Boyce (6) and Montray Clemons (1) have also earned starts this season.

The Comebacks
USF has erased sizeable deficits in three of its four conference wins this season. Against Pacific, the Dons rallied from a 19-point deficit (43-24; 3:35 1st) to post a 89-76 victory over the Tigers. On New Year's Eve, USF rallied from a 15-point, 81-66 deficit to defeat Portland, 107-95. Last Thursday at Santa Clara, the Dons spotted the Broncos a 13-2 lead out out of the gates and trailed by as many as 15 points (26-11) before rallying for a 74-61 victory. USF has faced deficits of at least 10 points in 11 of 19 games this season, including seven of 10 conference games

The Wins and Losses
Of the 10 victories, five have been by a combined total of 20 points (78-75 at Illinois-Chicago; 58-57 vs. UC Riverside; 65-61 CSUN; 96-93 vs. Coppin State; 73-65 at San Diego) while four others have been by a combined total of 85 points (80-54 vs. Rice; 67-47 vs. Delaware State; 89-76 vs. Pacific; 107-95 vs. Portland; 74-61 at Santa Clara). USF erased a 19-point deficit to defeat Pacific and rallied from 15 down to defeat both Portland and Santa Clara. The Dons never led in losses to Fresno State, UC Santa Barbara, Montana, Saint Mary's or Pepperdine  and led for only :32 seconds in a loss to Eastern Washington. USF squandered a 16-point lead with 8:49 left to play before falling to Gonzaga, 102-94 in overtime and dropped games to BYU and LMU when those two teams combined to make 27 three-pointers. 

Non-Conference vs. Conference Opponents
In 10 non-conference games this season, USF averaged 70.3 points and shot 43.7 percent from the floor, including 32.2 percent from distance. In nine WCC games, the Dons are averaging 83.1 ppg and shooting 45.1 from the floor, including 41.5 percent from beyond the arc. USF allowed just 69.6 ppg to its non-conference foes but are yielding 84.4 ppg in conference action.

The Half of It
USF has trailed at haftime in 14 of 19 games and is 6-8 in those contests. The Dons have been outscored 705-612 while shooting 40.6 from the floor over the first 20 minutes of games this season compared to after intermission when USF is outscoring the opposition 815-722 and shooting 48.0 percent from the floor.

The Scoreboard
USF is averaging 87.0 points (696 total) over its last eight games, boosting the team's scoring average to 76.4, which ranks fifth in the WCC. The Dons have scored 90 or more points three times in the last seven games. USF's 107-95 win over Portland marked the first time the Dons had scored a 100 points in a game since they defeated the Pilots, 104-70 on Jan. 12, 2012. It was also the Dons highest scoring output since tallying a school record 129 points against Holy Names on Jan. 2, 2010.

Dons Defensively
After allowing its six previous opponents an average of 91.5 points per game, USF limited Santa Clara to just 61 points, the lowest output by an opponent since CSUN also managed just 61 points against the Dons. USF has allowed 80 or more points eight times this season, including a season-high of 102 against Gonzaga (OT) and BYU. The 102 points scored by Gonzaga and BYU were the most points USF has allowed since suffering a 104-65 loss at Arizona State on Nov. 20, 2009 and were the most scored by a WCC opponent since Feb. 23, 1995, when Gonzaga defeated the Dons, 106-67 in Spokane. The Dons have allowed 76.6 ppg this season, which ranks ninth in the WCC. Opponents are shooting 43.4 percent from the field which ranks seventh in the WCC.

From the Floor
USF is shooting 44.4 from the floor on the season, which ranks fifth in the WCC. The Dons have shot 50 percent of better in four games this season (50.8 vs. Rice; 55.8 vs. Montana; 55.0 vs. Coppin State; 58.3 vs. Portland). Junior Uche Ofoegbu ranks ninth in the WCC in field goal percentage at 52.9.

Toeing the Line
After going 29-of-49 from the line in losses to Loyola Marymount (16-for-28) and Pepperdine (13-for-21), the Dons knocked down 19-of-24 (79.2) of their free throw attempts at Santa Clara.  USF ranks ninth in the WCC in free throw percentage at 68.5, which is still an improvement from last year's mark of 60.1 at the same point of the season. Devin Watson (77.5) ranks ninth among all WCC players in free throw percentage. Last season, USF ranked last in the WCC with a 62.9 free throw percentage, which was the lowest mark since the 1985-86 season (62.4).

From Distance
USF has made 78 three-pointers in its last eight games and is shooting 42.3 percent (78-for-184) from distance during that stretch. The 14 threes against Gonzaga were the most in a single game since the Dons drilled a school-record 17 treys against Idaho State in 2013-14. The Dons are now shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range on the year, which ranks fifth in the WCC. Tim Derksen ranks sixth in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at 43.7 while Devin Watson ranks eighth in 3's made per game (2.3).

Defending the Three
USF's last four opponents BYU (15-for-30), LMU (12-for-27), Pepperdine (10-for-18) and Santa Clara (8-for-24) are a combined 45-for-99 (45.4) from distance. The Dons have allowed 10 or more three-pointers nine times this season and rank 10th in the WCC in three-point field goal defense at 37.9 percent.

Board Work
USF has outrebounded 10 of its first 19 opponents and is +61 in the rebound column on the year. The Dons are averaging 38.6 boards a game, which ranks third in the WCC and are fourth in rebound margin (+3.5). USF ranks second in the WCC in offensive rebounds per game at 12.4. Three players - Dont'e Reynolds (6.7), Tim Derksen (6.1) and Uche Ofoegbu (4.4) - are averaging at least 4.0 boards per game. Derksen's 14 rebounds vs. Pacific were the most by a USF player since Kruize Pinkins also pulled down 14 boards last season vs. Eastern Washington. Reynolds ranks eighth in the WCC in rebounding while Derksen is 10th.

Assists, Turnovers and Steals
USF is averaging 13.3 turnovers a game (254 total), compared to the opponents at 11.3 per game. USF ranks 10th in the WCC in turnover margin (-2.00) and ninth assist-turnover ratio (1.0). Of the Dons 496 total field goals, 243 (48.9 percent) have come via an assist. USF is also averaging 5.0 steals a game to rank t-sixth in the WCC.

The Bench
USF's reserves are averaging 18.2 ppg this season (347 total), compared to the opponent's at 24.3 (462). The bench scored a season-high 37 points against Rice and has scored 20 or more points in seven games this season.

High Scoring Tandem
Devin Watson and senior Tim Derksen has combined to average 35.7 ppg (679 total) points a game this season to rank as the WCC's second-highest scoring tandem behind Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer and Damontas Sabonis, who are averaging 39.1 per outing (783 total). BYU's high-scoring duo of Chase Fischer and Kyle Collinsworth are averaging 33.2 ppg (695). Either Watson or Derksen have led the team in scoring 16 of 19 games this season and have accounted for 46.7 percent (679 of 1451) of USF's total point production. Watson has scored 20 or more points in 11 games this season, including a pair of 30-point games,  while Derksen has five 20-point contests.

Watson Ranks 23rd Nationally in Scoring
Sophomore point guard Devin Watson is averaging 20.4 points a game, which ranks second in the WCC and 23rd nationally among all Division I players. He is the third-highest scoring sophomore in the nation behind Pascal Siakam (22.1) of New Mexico State and Sacred Heart's Cane Broome (21.0). The last USF player to win a conference scoring title was Dior Lowhorn who averaged 20.1 pgg in 2008-09. Watson has been in double-figures in 18 of 19 games this season, including 11 games of at least 20 points (24 at Fresno State; 27 vs. UC Riverside; 25 vs. Eastern Washington; 31 vs. Coppin State; 23 vs. Pacific; 22 vs. Portland; 33 vs. Gonzaga; 25 at BYU; 20 LMU; 21 vs. Pepperdine; 22 at Santa Clara). If the season ended today, Watson's scoring average would rank 13th on USF's all-time single-season charts.

Sharing the Wealth
USF is 5-2 this season when four players score in double figures, with the only losses coming against Gonzaga and BYU.

RBIII Heating Up
Junior Ronnie Boyce III has scored in double figures in all eight of nine conference games and is averaging 16.8 ppg against WCC foes this season. He has scored 20 or more points in four of his last eight games, including a career-high 25 points vs. Pepperdine. Boyce scored in double figures in each of the first two games of the season vs. Illinois-Chicago (13) and Rice (11), but scored just six points over his five appearances before this recent stretch. He made his first career start against Pacific on Dec. 23.

No Rest for the Weary
Devin Watson (4th; 34.8) and Tim Derksen (10th; 31.4) both rank in the top-10 among all WCC players in minutes played. Derksen has logged 2,958 minutes over his career, which ranks ninth on USF's all-time career list. At his present rate, Derksen will move into USF's top-5 for minutes played at year's end.

Derksen Joins 1,000-Point Club
With 1,211 career points, senior Tim Derksen ranks 21st on USF's all-time scoring list and needs 26 more points to tie Ali Thomas (1997-01) for 20th all-time. Here's a look at where Derksen ranks on USF's all-time scoring list...

USF's Career Scoring Leaders
16.    Marlon Redmond (1973-77)    1,308
17.    Angelo Caloiaro (2008-12)    1,271
18.    Dennis Black (1966-68)    1,269
19.    Cole Dickerson (2010-14)    1,252
20.    Ali Thomas (1997-01)    1,237
21.    Tim Derksen (2012-Present)    1,211

Derksen on USF's 3-Point Charts
Tim Derksen is shooting 44.9 percent (31-for-71) from distance this season -- sixth-best among all WCC players.  Derksen is now shooting 40.3 percent (128-for-317) from long distance for his career, which ranks sixth on USF's all-time career list. Shawn Sykes (1988-90) is USF's all-time leader in 3-point percentage at 44.4 (98-for-218).

USF's Career Three-Point Percentage Leaders
1.    Shawn Sykes (1988-90)    98-218    .444
2.    Danny Cavic (2005-08)    130-295    .440
3,    Avry Holmes (2012-14)    98-223    .439
4.    Kevin Weeks (1990-92)    60-142    .423
5.    Joel DeBortoli (1987-90)    60-142    .423
6.    Tim Derksen (2012-    128-317    .403
7.    Gerald Walker (1992-96)    142-359    .395
8.    Shamell Stallworth (1999    153-389    .393
9.    Darrell Tucker (1999-03)    116-301    .385
10.    Tim Owens (1990-92)    65-170    .382

Last Time Out 
USF spotted Santa Clara a 13-2 lead out of the gates but roared back to defeat the Broncos, 74-61 last Thursday at the Leavey Center. Devin Watson scored a game high 22 points, 17 of which came in the second half, Uche Ofoegbu finished with a career high 21 and Tim Derksen added 19 to help the Dons snap a three-game losing streak. The trio accounted for 63 of the Dons 74 points on the night. Santa Clara's Jared Brownridge scored the Broncos first 15 points of the game but scored just five second points, as the Dons outscored the Broncos, 42-26 after intermission. Santa Clara led by as many as many as 15 points at 26-11 in the first half before the Dons trimmed the lead to 35-32 lead at intermission. Santa Clara was holding a 49-44 lead with 13:05 left in the game when the Dons caught fire and went on a 21-5 run to open a 65-54 advantage with 3:26 remaining.  The Broncos could get no closer than nine points down the stretch.