Game at a Glance
San Francisco Dons (10-3, 0-0 WCC) vs. San Diego Toreros (7-5, 0-0 WCC)
Thursday,  Dec. 29, 2016 • 7:00 p.m. 
War Memorial at the Sobrato Center • San Francisco, Calif.
Series Record: USF 41-36
Last Meeting: Feb. 13, 2016 (USF 68-51)
Video Stream: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Television / Radio: None / 95.7 FM The GAME

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

Opening Tip
USF (10-3, 0-0 WCC) opens West Coast Conference play on Thursday night against the San Diego Toreros (7-5, 0-0 WCC). Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The Dons advanced to the championship game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic before falling to San Diego State, 62-48 on Christmas Day, while the Toreros are coming off a 69-68 win at North Texas on Dec. 22.

The Dandy Dons

• Now 10-3 on the season after winning two of three games in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic...downed Utah and Illinois State before dropping a 62-48 decision to San Diego State in the championship game.
• At 10-3, are off to its best 13-game start since the 1999-2000 team was 12-1 after 13 games on the way to a 13-3, 16-game start...10 non-conference wins are the most since 2011-12 (10) and marks the fourth time since 1985-86 the Dons have won at least 10 non-conference games.
• Dons' record under Kyle Smith also marks the best start by a USF first-year coach since Pete Barry's 1980-81 USF team got off to a 11-2 start.
• Open the 65th season of West Coast Conference play on Thursday night against the San Diego Toreros (7-5)...swept the season series last year and are 10-3 vs. San Diego dating back to 2009-10 season.
• Are 5-1 at home this season, with the only setback coming at the hands of Portland State.
• Have put up season-low scoring totals in each of the last two games vs. Illinois State (66) and San Diego State (48) but still tank third in the WCC in scoring at 78.5 points per game.
• Shot 36.9 percent in its last two games vs. Illinois State and San Diego State and now rank third in the WCC in field goal percentage at 48.4 per game...have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in seven games this season...had six such shooting games al of last year.
• Still lead the WCC and rank 12th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (41.3)...also lead the conference and rank seventh nationally in three's made per game (10.6)...made 16-of-28 (57.1) of its long distance tries against Utah, marking the seventh game this season USF has connected on 10 or more treys in a game, including a school-record 18 against Eastern Washington.
• Three players - Ronnie Boyce (27), Charles Minlend (26) and Chase Foster (22) -- have made 20+ threes this season while a total of seven players have made 10 or more shots from distance.
• Have outrebounded seven opponents this season and are even on the boards in two other games..are +60 on the boards over the last 12 games and rank fifth in the WCC in rebound margin (+3.5).
• Put forth one of its best defensive efforts of the season against Illinois State in limiting the Redbirds to 58 points and 30.3 shooting from the floor, a season-low for a Dons opponent this season.
• Rank 10th in the WCC in free throw percentage at 64.1 percent...shooting 59.5 (53-for-89) from the line over the last five games.
• USF's reserves have combined to score 188 points over the last four games against Abilene Christian (58), Utah (52), Illinois State (45) and San Diego State (33)...Don's bench has outscored the opponents 443-248 (+195) over the last 12 games
• Freshman Charles Minlend was named to the Diamond Head Classic all-tournament team...in three games, he averaged 13.3 ppg, was 14-of-29 (48.2) from the field, including 7-of-15(46.7) from long distance...he bettered his career high in each of the last two games against Illinois State (17) and San Diego State (18)...he now ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.4 ppg.
• Have trailed at the half in just two games (Illinois State and San Diego State) this season and were tied in another (UC Santa Barbara).

Worth Watching

• Two of the youngest teams in the WCC get together Thursday on the Hilltop…both squads feature just one senior and a junior on their rosters.
• USF head coach Kyle Smith spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at San Diego (1992-2000) before moving onto Air Force for one season and then to Saint Mary's…among the players Smith coached at San Diego was current Torero head coach Lamont Smith.
• Dons have struggled at the line in recent games and now rank 10th in the WCC in free throw percentage at 64.1…USD is the WCC's third-best shooting team at 75 percent.
• The Dons enter the game ranked first in the WCC in three-point percentage at 41.3 while San Diego has defended the three-point line fairly well this season, as opponents are shooting just 30.7 percent from distance this season.
• The Toreros are yielding 75.0 points per game – ninth most in the WCC – while the Dons are the WCC's third-highest scoring team at 78.5.

Scouting Report 

About San Diego
Bring a 7-5 record into Thursday's game on the Hilltop…have won five straight, most recently a 69-68 decision at North Texas on Dec. 22…Olin Carter III's three-pointer with :07 left proved to be the game-winner…young team with just two upperclassmen on its roster…senior forward Brett Bailey ranks fifth in the WCC in scoring with a 18.6 ppg average…also ranks fifth in rebounding at 7.2…Carter is averaging 17.8 points per game to rank seventh among WCC scoring leaders…he is also averaging 3.3 three-pointers a game, which ranks second in the WCC…junior forward Cameron Neubauer is also averaging in double figures at 10.8…shooting 37.2 from distance with three players shooting 40 percent or better from distance…under the direction of second-year head coach Lamont Smith, a 1998 USD graduate who was a two-year captain of the Toreros under Brad Holland.

Series History with San Diego
USF leads the all-time series with San Diego, 41-36. USF has won 10 out of the last 13 contests vs. the Toreros dating back to the 2009-10 season. USF swept the season series last year, winning 73-65 in San Diego and 68-51 in San Francisco. The Toreros swept the Dons in 2014-15, winning 57-56 on New Year's Nigh in San Francisco and 77-69 on Jan. 31 in San Diego.

Last Year's Meetings With San Diego 
Jan. 7, 2016 at San Diego: Ronnie Boyce made 5-of-6 three-pointers and scored a career high 22 points as USF downed San Diego, 73-65 at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Devin Watson (16), Tim Derksen (12) and Uche Ofoegbu (11) joined Boyce in double-figures to help the Dons to their third win in four games. Vasa Pusica led all San Diego scorers with 19 points. Derksen also pulled down nine rebounds while Boyce grabbed nine as the Dons outrebounded the Toreros, 38-33. The Dons shot 46.4 from the field and were 8-of-14 (57.1) from long distance while the Toreros managed to shoot just 34.5 percent from the floor, including 15.4 percent (4-of-26) from distance. USF trailed just once in the game at 4-2 and led a halftime, 31-24. USF led by as many as 14 points at 67-53 with 4:45 remaining before winning by the final 73-65 count.

Feb. 13, 2016 at San Francisco: Tim Derksen's 18 points led four Dons in double figures as USF posted a wire-to-wire, 68-51 victory over San Diego in War Memorial at The Sobrato Center. Ronnie Boyce went 3-for-3 from the field and added 14 points while Devin Watson and Uche Ofoegbu chipped in with 11 each. Dont'e Reynolds pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with nine points. The Dons jumped on the Toreros quickly, scoring the first 10 points of the game before San Diego finally got on the board 4:35 into the game. USF led by as many as 17 points at 31-14 in the first half before taking a 14 point advantage into intermission. The Dons increased their lead to 19 points at 38-19 following a three-pointer by Watson with 16:32 remaining. The Toreros did not go down quietly, however, as San Diego went on a 18-5 run to cut USF's lead down to six at 43-37 with 11:51 left. Three-pointers by Derksen and Watson keyed a 10-0 USF run that pushed the Dons lead back to 16 at 53-37 with 10:16 left.  San Diego could draw no closer than 12 points down the stretch as USF completed the season sweep of the Toreros with the 17-point victory.

Up Next
USF meets longtime rival Santa Clara on Saturday in a game that will tip-off at 3:00 p.m. in the Leavey Center. Saturday's USF-Santa Clara game will be broadcast on CSNCA with Barry Tompkins and Dan Belluomini calling the action and on 95.7 FM The GAME.
 
Fan Guide
 
Ticket Information
Reserved and general admission tickets for USF's upcoming games against Gonzaga (Jan. 5) and Saint Mary's (Jan. 7), along with all other WCC home games, are currently available for purchase on-line at USFDons.com/tickets or by calling (415) 422-2USF (2873).

Fans may also purchase the Box Out Big Three ticket package, which includes a general admission seat to all three games against Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and BYU, for $105 (adults) and $90 for seniors and children 12-under.

For information regarding USF Basketball tickets for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, please call the USF Athletic Ticket Office at (415) 422-2USF (2873) or go on-line to USFDons.com/tickets.
 
Parking Information
Parking is available free of charge two hours prior to tip-off until one hour after the conclusion of the game in any campus lot, with the exception of designated green parking spots and the top of Hayes-Healy garage on Golden Gate Avenue adjacent to the gymnasium.
 
The Hilltop Club Level
Fans 21 and older can enjoy beverages and catered food options before and during designated games during the season in the Hilltop Club Level. Located in the upper mezzanine level on the south side of War Memorial at The Sobrato Center, The Hilltop Club Level will open one hour before tipoff and will remain accessible throughout the game. Beer, wine, soft drinks and catered food options will be available to all fans 21 years of age and older. Admission to the The Hilltop Club is priced at $10 per game. Food and drink options are extra. The cost does not include a game ticket.