Game at a Glance
San Francisco Dons (8-6, 2-2 WCC) vs. San Diego Toreros (5-8, 0-2 WCC)
Thursday,  Jan. 7, 2016 • 7:00 p.m. 
Jenny Craig Pavilion • San Diego, Calif.
Series Record: USF 40-36
Last Meeting: Jan. 31, 2015 (San Diego 77-69)
Audio Stream: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: FSSD, CSNBA (Eddie Doucette, Play-by-Play; Brad Holland, Analyst)
Live Stats: USDToreros.com

Complete USF Game Note (PDF)

Opening Tip
USF (8-6, 2-2 WCC) meets San Diego (5-8, 0-2 WCC) Thursday night at the Jenny Craig Pavilion with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. The Dons split a pair of games last week, defeating Portland, 107-95 before dropping an overtime decision to Gonzaga, 102-94. The Toreros suffered a pair of road losses at Pacific (77-75) and Saint Mary's (79-46). Thursday night's game will be televised by Fox Sports San Diego and carried live in the Bay Area on CSNBA. USF will wrap up the week with a game at BYU on Saturday night beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT.

USF at a Glance

• Now 8-6 overall and 2-2 in the WCC after Saturday night's 102-94 overtime loss to No. 24 Gonzaga...Devin Watson scored a career-high 33 points but USF failed to hold a 16-point lead with 8:49 remaining.
• Averaging 97.0 points (290 total) over its last three games against Pacific (89), Portland (107) and Gonzaga (94) and 83.2 (416) over its last five contests...averaging 74.6 ppg on the year - fifth best in the WCC.
• Scored 100 points and gave up a 100 in consecutive games against Portland (107-95) and Gonzaga (94-102) for only the second time in school history...last Feb. 4 and 9, 1990 at LMU (115-157) and vs. LMU (123-137).
• Are one game ahead of last year's pace when the team was 7-7 at the 14-game mark.
• Were swept by San Diego last season but are 9-3 against the Toreros dating back to the 2009-10 season...are 5-1 in its last six games in Jenny Craig Pavilion.
• Of the Dons eight wins this season, four have been by a combined total of 11 points while four others have been by a combined total of 72 points...were 1-4 in games decided by five points or fewer last season.
• Have not led in four of its six losses and led for only a combined :32 seconds in a loss to Eastern Washington...rallied from a 19-point deficit vs. Pacific and were 15 down to Portland with 12:59 to play.
• Have made 38-of-79 (49.1) of its three-point tries over the last three games, including a season-high 14 vs. Gonzaga...Devin Watson (12-for-22) and Ronnie Boyce (11-for-22) are a combined 23-for-44 (52.2) in the last three games.
• Have trailed at halftime in 10 of its 14 games this season and are 5-5 in those contests...averaging 31.6 points and shooting 38.6 percent in the first half this season compared to 41.4 and and 49.4 percent after intermission.
• Shuffled the lineup for the fourth time this season vs. Pacific, with Ronnie Boyce drawing his first career start, giving the Dons four players no taller than 6-4 in the starting five...have averaged 97.0 ppg since going to smaller lineup.
• After scoring a career high 33 points vs. Gonzaga, sophomore point guard Devin Watson is now averaging 20.3 ppg this season, which ranks third in the WCC...he has been in double-figures in 13 of 14 games this season including seven games of at least 20-points.
• Senior guard Tim Derksen scored a career-high 27 points vs. Portland and is averaging 15.1 ppg and 6.7 boards a game...he ranks seventh in the WCC in scoring and ninth in rebounding.
• The duo of Watson and Derksen is averaging 35.4 ppg (496 total) to rank as form WCC's highest-scoring backcourt...they account for 47.4 percent of USF's season point total (496 of 1045).
• With 120 wins in seven-plus seasons on the Hilltop, Rex Walters is ranks sixth on USF's all-time career win list among coaches...he has coached 238 games, which ranks third all-time behind only Jim Brovelli (286) and Phil Mathews (262).

The Matchup

About San Diego
Are 5-8 overall and 0-2 in the WCC…dropped road games last week at Pacific (77-75) and Saint Mary's (79-46)…signature win of the season came on Dec. 6 when USD downed perennial west coast power San Diego State, 53-48 at Petco Park…led in scoring by senior Dude Sanadze, who is averaging 12.6 points per game…senior center Jito Kok ranks first in the WCC and is 11th nationally in blocked shots at 2.80 per game…he ranks fifth all-time in the WCC in career blocks…averaged just 60.2 points per game, which ranks last in the WCC, but are allowing just 66.4, which is the second lowest in the conference…shooting 37.8 percent from the field as a team, including 28.3 percent from distance…lost three key starters off last year's team, including the school's all-time leading scorer Johnny Dee and career assist leader Christopher Anderson…under the direction of first-year head coach Lamont Smith, a former player at San Diego from 1994-99…was previously the associate head coach at New Mexico and also spent time at Washington, Arizona State, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's and Saint Louis.

Series History with San Diego
USF leads the all-time series with San Diego, 40-36. USF has won nine out of the last 12 contests vs. the Toreros, including a 5-1 mark in Jenny Craig Pavilion dating back to the 2009-10 season. USD swept the season series last year, winning 57-56 on New Year's Night in San Francisco and 77-69 on Jan. 31 in San Diego. It was the Toreros first season sweep of the Dons since the 2008-09 campaign.

Last Year's Meetings With San Diego
USF fell to San Diego, 57-56 on New Year's Night on the Hilltop. 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. USF's leading scorer, Kruize Pinkins, was plagued by foul trouble and finished with just seven points and two rebounds.
 
In the return game in San Diego, USF dropped a 77-69 decision, as the Toreros completed their first season sweep of the Dons since 2008-09. USF shot 50 percent from the field, but made just 3-of-13 three-point attempts and committed 17 turnovers which led to 23 Torero points. With the game hanging in the balance with less than six minutes remaining, the Dons made six turnovers in a span of four minutes helping the Toreros turn a 61-58 deficit into a 69-63 advantage. The two teams were whistled for a combined 51 fouls in the game. Kruiize Pinkins led all scorers with 23 points while Matt Glover (13) and Tim Derksen (10) also reached double figures for the Dons. Johnny Dee led four Toreros in double figures with 20 points. The loss snapped a five-game USF winning streak at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Worth Watching

• Even though the Toreros won both games against the Dons last season, USF has had the upper hand in the series in recent years, winning nine of the last 12 meetings…Dons are also 5-1 in their last six trips to the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
• USD senior Dude Sanadze leads the conference and ranks 11th nationally in blocks per game at 2.80.
• USF has scored 290 points (97.6) over its last three games and is averaging 87.6 point over their last five contests…face a Torero team that is holding opponents to just 66.4 points a game, the second lowest opponent average in the conference.
• USF has made 38 three-pointers in its last three games and is shot 48.1 percent from the field during that stretch…Devin Watson (12-for-22) and Ronnie Boyce (11-for-22) are a combined 23-for-44 (52.2) over the last three games from distance.

Dons' Notebook

The Record
At 8-6, USF is one game ahead of its pace of last season, when the Dons were 7-7 at the 14-game mark. The Dons were 7-8 after 15 games last season on its way to a 7-10 mark.

The Road Record
USF begins a stretch on Thursday that will see the team play five of its next seven games on the road. The Dons are 1-3 on road games this season, with the lone victory coming in the season opener at Illinois-Chicago, 78-75. USF has dropped road games to Fresno State (71-76), Montana (50-82) and Saint Mary's (52-74). However, the Dons are 14-9 in their last 23 WCC road games dating back to the 2012-13 season.

Let's Get Small
USF employed its fourth starting lineup of the season vs. Pacific, as Ronnie Boyce replaced Nate Renfro, giving the Dons four players no taller than 6-foot-4 in the starting five. Boyce has responded with a pair of 20 point game vs. Pacific and Gonzaga. The Dons have scored no fewer than 89 points since the lineup switch and are averaging 96.7 (290 total) over the last three games. A total of eight players have drawn starts this season with Devin Watson, Tim Derksen and Dont'e Reynolds holding their sports of all 14 games. Nate Renfro (10), Chase Foster (9), Boyce (3) and Montray Clemons (1) have also earned starts this season.

The Wins and Losses
Of the eight victories, four have been by a combined total of 11 points (78-75 at Illinois-Chicago; 58-57 vs. UC Riverside; 65-61 CSUN; 96-93 vs. Coppin State) while four others have been by a combined total of 72 points (80-54 vs. Rice; 67-47 vs. Delaware State; 89-76 vs. Pacific; 107-95 vs. Portland). USF erased a 19-point deficit to defeat Pacific and rallied from 15 down with 12:59 left to play against Portland. The Dons never led in losses to Fresno State, UC Santa Barbara, Montana or Saint Mary's 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.

The Half of It
USF has trailed at haftime in 10 of 14 games and is 5-5 in those contests. The Dons being outscored 505-442 while shooting 37.8 from the floor over the first 20 minutes of games this season compared to after intermission when USF is outscoring the opposition 579-509) and shooting 49.4 percent from the floor.

The Scoreboard
USF has scored 290 points (97.6) over its last three games and 438 (87.6) over its last five contests. The Dons have enjoyed four of their highest scoring outputs of the season in the last five games vs. Coppin State (96), Pacific (89) and Portland (107) and Gonzaga (94). USF is averaging 74.6 ppg this season, which ranks fifth in the WCC. 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.

Century City
USF's 107-95 win over Portland followed by a 102-94 overtime loss to Gonzaga marked only the second time in school history the Dons had scored 100-points only to give up a 100 in its next game. On Feb. 4, 1990, USF suffered a 157-115 loss at Loyola Marymount and then played the Lions again five days later on the Hilltop, falling 137-123.

Dons Defensively
USF has allowed its two-highest point totals of the season in its last two games against Portland (95) and Gonzaga (102). The 102 points scored by Gonzaga 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 83.0 points (664 total) a game in its last eight games and are allowing 74.5 ppg this season, which ranks eighth in the WCC. Opponents are shooting 43.2 percent from the field, including 37.4 percent from long distance, against the Dons this season.

From the Floor
After shooting a season-low 28.3 percent at Saint Mary's, the Dons have shot 49.7 percent (95-for-191) from the field over its last three games and are now shooting 44.0 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).

Toeing the Line
After making just 22-of-39 (56.4) of its free throws at Illinois-Chicago, USF has knocked down 205-of-292 (70.2 percent) of its free throws over its last 13 games and is now shooting 68.6 percent from the line this season -- sixth best in the WCC. After 14 games last season, USF was converting just 57.8 percent of its free throw attempts. Tim Derksen (78.5) and Devin Watson (77.2) rank seventh and eighth respectively 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 38 three-pointers in its last three games against Pacific (13), Portland (11) and Gonzaga (14) and is shooting 48.1 percent (38-for-79) from distance during that stretch. Devin Watson (12-for-22) and Ronnie Boyce (11-for-22) are a combined 23-for-44 (52.2) over the last three games from beyond the arc. 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 36.4 percent from three-point range on the year, which ranks fifth in the WCC. Watson tops the team in 3's made (31) followed by Tim Derksen (21), Chase Foster (18) and Boyce (16). Derksen ranks seventh in the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at 43.8.

Board Work
USF has outrebounded eight of its first 14 opponents and is +55 in the rebound column on the year. The Dons are averaging 38.9 boards a game, which ranks third in the WCC and are fourth in rebound margin (+3.9). USF ranks third in the WCC in offensive rebounds per game at 12.1. Three players - Dont'e Reynolds (7.1), Tim Derksen (6.7) and Uche Ofoegbu (4.2) - 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 with a 7.1 rpg average while Derksen ranks ninth at 6.7.

Assists, Turnovers and Steals
USF has turned the ball over at least 15 times in six of the 13 games this season and are averaging 13.4 turnovers a game, compared to the opponents at 10.8 per game. USF ranks 10th in the WCC in turnover margin (2.57) and ninth assist-turnover ratio (0.9). Of the Dons 353 total field goals, 176 (49.8 percent) have come via an assist. USF is also averaging 4.6 steals a game to rank ninth in the WCC.

The Bench
USF's reserves are averaging 18.0 ppg this season (252 total), compared to the opponent's at 24.0 (337). The bench scored a season-high 37 points against Rice and has scored 20 or more points in three of its last five games.

WCC's Highest-Scoring Backcourt
USF's starting guard combination of sophomore Devin Watson and senior Tim Derksen has combined to average 35.4 ppg (496 total) points a game this season to rank as the WCC's highest-scoring backcourt.Either Watson or Derksen have led the team in scoring 13 of 14 games this season and have accounted for 47.4 percent (496 of 1045) of USF's total point production. Watson has scored 20 or more points in seven games this season, including a pair of 30-point games,  while Derksen has three 20-point contests.

Watson Ranks Third in WCC Scoring
Sophomore point guard Devin Watson is averaging 20.3 points a game, which ranks third in the WCC behind Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer (20.8) and Santa Clara's Jared Brownridge (20.8). 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 12 of 13 games this season, including six 20-point contests (24 at Fresno State; 27 vs. UC Riverside; 25 vs. Eastern Washington; 31 vs. Coppin State; 23 vs. Pacific; 22 vs. Portland). He is also averaging 5.4 assists per game to rank sixth in the WCC.

Derksen's Doubles
With 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds vs. Pacific, senior guard Tim Derksen recorded his third double-double of the season and fourth of his career. Derksen also posted double-doubles earlier this season against Illinois-Chicago (17-12) and UC Riverside (11-13). He also closed the 2014-15 season with a double-double vs. Gonzaga (21-10). He ranks in the WCC's top-10 in both scoring (7th; 15.1) the rebounding (9th; 6.7) from his two-guard position.

No Rest for the Weary
Devin Watson (4th; 34.4) and Tim Derksen (10th; 31.2) both rank in the top-10 among all WCC players in minutes played. Derksen has logged 2,813 minutes over his career, which ranks 10th 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 1,142 career points, senior Tim Derksen ranks 23rd on USF's all-time scoring list and needs 28 more points to move into a tie with Joel DeBortoli (1987-90) for 22nd place all-time.

Derksen on USF's 3-Point Charts
Tim Derksen has made 21-of-48 (.438) of his 3-point tries this season and ranks seventh among all WCC players in three-point field goal percentage. He is now shooting 40.1 percent (118-for-294) 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).

Uche's Last Six
Junior Uche Ofoegbu has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, including a career-high 18-point effort against Gonzaga. Over the last six games, he is averaging 13.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and shooting 52.8 (28-for-53) from the field, including 42.9 (9-for-21) from long distance.

Walters on USF's All-Time Coaching Charts
With 120 wins in seven-plus seasons on the Hilltop, Rex Walters ranks fourth on USF's all-time win list and is one of seven coaches in USF history to win a 100 games. Only Jim Brovelli (296) and Phil Mathews (262) have coached more games than Walters (238) among all USF coaches.

USF and the OKC
USF and Oklahoma City has enjoyed quite a connection over the years. All-time great Mike Farmer, who played on USF's 1956 NCAA Championship team as a sophomore, was born in Oklahoma City before moving west where he attended Richmond High School. Winforrd Boynes (1975-78), USF's fifth all-time leading scorer, attended Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City. More recently, Oklahoma City natives Matt Christiansen (2012-14; Bishop McGuinness HS), Joe Edmonds (2012-13; Bishop McGuinness HS) and Ronnie Boyce III (Putnam HS) have dotted the Dons' roster.

Dons in Overtime
USF is 1-1 in overtime games this season, defeating Coppin State, 96-93 and falling to Gonzaga, 102-94. The Dons are now 4-4 in its last eight overtime games and 13-7 in overtime games under head coach Rex Walters. USF was 1-1 in OT games last season, dropping a 69-65 decision at Cleveland State and defeating Santa Clara, 69-62.

This Week in USF Basketball History
Jan. 8, 1957 – USF suffers its first conference loss in nearly three years, falling to Santa Clara, 51-47 at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. Jan. 9, 1982 – Eric Slaymaker makes three clutch free throws in overtime as USF scores a 72-71 victory in a nationally-televised game at South Carolina.