Game 27
San Francisco Dons (15-11, 8-7 WCC) vs. Loyola Marymount Lions (11-16, 4-12 WCC)
Saturday,  Feb. 20, 2016 • 1:00 p.m.
Gersten Pavilion • Los Angeles, Calif.
Series Record: USF 110-41
Last Meeting: Jan. 14, 2016 (LMU 87-83)
Audio Stream: TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
Television: CSNBA (Steve Quis, Play-by-Play; Casey Jacobsen, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

Opening Tip
USF (15-12, 8-7 WCC) wraps up its Southern California road trip on Saturday afternoon against the Loyola Marymount Lions (11-16, 4-12 WCC). Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion and the game will be featured as the WCC's Game of the Week, with Steve Quis and Casey Jacobsen calling the action from courtside. USF is coming off a 82-72 win at Pepperdine on Thursday while the Lions fell at home to Santa Clara, 76-72.

USF at a Glance

• Improved to 15-11 overall and 8-7 in the WCC with Thursday night's 82-72 win at Pepperdine...Ronnie Boyce (25) and Devin Watson (21) combined for 46 points as the Dons won for the fourth straight time in Malibu.
• Enter Saturday's game alone in fifth place in the WCC standings behind fourth place Pepperdine (16-11; 9-7) and two games ahead of Santa Clara (10-17, 6-9).
• Are over the .500 mark in conference play for the first time since Dec. 31 when the Dons were 3-2..best 15-game conference record since 2013-14 when team was 10-5 on its way to a 13-5 WCC record.
• Play the second of three straight road games Saturday at LMU...are 5-5 on the road this season and 18-11 in last 29 WCC road conference games dating back to 2012-13.
• Boast a 30-16 (.652) record in February since the 2009-10 campaign...went 4-3 last February and after back-to-back 5-2 marks in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
• Dropped a 87-83 decision to LMU earlier this season in San Francisco...have won six of the last nine in the series including three straight in Westchester...nine of the last 13 games have been decided by four points or less.
• Looking to sweep the Southern California road trip for the fourth straight season.
• Are averaging 83.5 points per game (1273 total) over the last 15 games...rank fourth in WCC scoring at 77.5 ppg...on pace to become highest scoring team by average since 1993-94 (88.9).
• After allowing a season-high 114 points to BYU, have held last two opponents to 61.5 ppg (123 total).
• Rallied from deficits of 19 (Pacific) and 15 (Portland, Santa Clara) points in three of six conference wins.
• Have trailed at halftime in 16 of its 26 games this season and are 6-9 in those contests...are being outscored 972-894 and shooting 42.0 in the first half compared to the second when the Dons are outscoring the opponent 1085-1000 and shooting 46.5 percent from the floor after intermission.
• Sophomore point guard Devin Watson ranks third in the WCC and 31st nationally in scoring average at 19.9 ppg...he has scored in double-figures in 25 of 26 games this season including 15 games of at least 20-points...he also ranks as the seventh-highest scoring sophomore in the nation.
• Senior guard Tim Derksen ranks eighth in the WCC in scoring (16.1), eighth in rebounding (6.7) and fifth in three-point percentage (43.2)...joins Kyle Wiltjer of Gonzaga as the only player to rank in the top-10 in all three of those categories.
• The duo of Watson and Derksen is averaging 35.9 ppg (935 total) and account for 46.4 percent of USF's season point total (935 of 2014)...they are the second-highest scoring tandem by average in the WCC behind Kyle Wiltjer-Domantas Sabonis (1052; 38.9) of Gonzaga.
• Junior Ronnie Boyce has scored in double figures in 13 of 15 WCC games and is averaging 16.5 ppg in conference play....USF is averaging 84.3 points per game (1012 total) in Boyce's 12 starts this season.

The Matchup

Series History with Loyola Marymount
USF leads the all-time series with Loyola Marymount, 110-41. LMU won the first meeting of the season, 87-84 in San Francisco but the Dons have won 15 of the last 23 games in the series and are 41-15 vs. the Lions dating back to the 1990-91 season.  Nine out of the last 13 games in the series have been decided by four points or fewer, including seven by two points or fewer. The two schools have met seven times in WCC Tournament action, with the Dons holding a 5-2 edge.

First Meeting With Loyola Marymount 
USF could not survive 12 three-pointers by Loyola Marymount and fell to the hot-shooting Lions, 87-83 on Jan. 14 in San Francisco. LMU, which came into the game ranked eighth in the WCC in three-point percentage, made a season-high 12 three-pointers on 26 attempts from distance to earn its first conference victory of the season. Senior David Humphries came off the bench to make 6-of-10 shots from distance en route to a 20-point scoring night. Adom Jacko added 16 while Joshua Spiers also reached double figures with 11. Tim Derksen and Devin Watson each had 20 points to pace the Dons, while Ronnie Boyce returned the starting lineup and added 17. The Lions also made 17-of-19 of their free throw tries while the Dons managed to make just 16-of-28 shots from the line in the four point loss. LMU also held a 40-39 advantage on the boards. LMU led by as many as 11 points at 52-41 at the 15:39 mark of the second half but the Dons cut the lead to 81-80 and had a chance to take the lead but Watson missed a potential go-ahead layup with :35 left. Trailing 83-80, the Dons misfired on a potential game-tying three, missed two free throws and made a costly turnover in the game's final 22.5 seconds.

Dons' Notebook

The Record
At 15-11, USF has surpassed its win total from a year ago when the Dons finished 14-18 overall and 7-11 in the WCC. At 8-7 in the WCC, the Dons are over the .500 mark in conference play for the first time since USF was 3-2 following a win over Portland on New Year's Eve. Have won two straight for the sixth time this season but haven't won three consecutive games since Feb. 12-21 of last season.

What's Left
Following Saturday's game at Loyola Marymount, the Dons will play at Pacific (Feb. 25) before wrapping up the regular season at home against Saint Mary's (Feb. 27). The Dons own a win over Pacific this season but dropped a 22-point decision to the Gaels in Moraga.

The Road Record
USF is 5-5 on the road this season and boast a 18-11 in last 29 WCC road conference games dating back to 2012-13. The Dons are averaging 70.7 points a game and shooting 40.4 percent from the field away from home this season compared to 81.7 ppg and 46.4 shooting in 16 games on the Hilltop.

Fabulous in February
USF is now 30-16 (.652) in the month of February dating back to the 2009-10 season. The Dons went 4-3 last February after posting back-to-back 5-2 marks in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

The Lineups
USF shook up its lineup for the first time in nine games at Pepperdine, as sophomore Chase Foster made his 12th start of the season in place of Ronnie Boyce, who came off the benhc to score 25 points. The quintet of Devin Watson-Ronnie Boyce-Tim Derksen-Uche Ofoegbu and Dont'e Reynolds has been intact for 12 games this season, giving the Dons four players no taller than 6-foot-4 in the starting five. USF is averaging 84.3 points per game (1012 total) in Boyce's 12 starts this season. A total of eight players have drawn starts this season with Devin Watson, Tim Derksen and Dont'e Reynolds holding their sports of all 25 games. Chase Foster (12), Nate Renfro (10), Boyce (12) and Montray Clemons (1) have also earned starts this season.

The Wins and Losses
Of USF's 15 victories, six have been by a combined total of 23 points (78-75 at Illinois-Chicago; 58-57 vs. UC Riverside; 65-61 CSUN; 96-93 vs. Coppin State; 73-65 at San Diego; 89-86 vs. 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, Pepperdine or Gonzaga and led for only briefly in losses to Eastern Washington and BYU. USF squandered a 16-point lead with 8:49 left to play before falling to Gonzaga at home, 102-94 in overtime and dropped games to BYU and LMU when those two teams combined to make 44 three-pointers.  The Dons are averaging 80.9 points a game in 15 wins this season and 72.8 a game in 11 losses.

High Scoring Tandem
Devin Watson and senior Tim Derksen has combined to average 35.9 ppg (935 total) points a game this season to rank as the WCC's second-highest scoring tandem by average behind Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer and Damontas Sabonis, who are averaging 38.9 per outing (1052 total). BYU's high-scoring duo of Chase Fischer and Nick Emery are averaging 33.7 ppg (945). Either Watson or Derksen have led the team in scoring 20 of 26 games this season and have accounted for 46.4 percent (935 of 2014) of USF's total point production. Watson has scored 20 or more points in 15 games this season, including a pair of 30-point games,  while Derksen has eight 20-point contests.

Watson Ranks 32nd Nationally in Scoring
Sophomore point guard Devin Watson is averaging 19.9 points a game, which ranks third in the WCC and 32nd nationally among all Division I players. He is the seventh-highest scoring sophomore in the nation. 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 25 of 26 games this season, including 15 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; 20 vs. Menlo; 24 vs. Santa Clara; 29 vs. BYU; 20 at Pepperdine).

Sharing the Wealth
The Dons are 10-2 this season when at least 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 13 of 15 conference games and is averaging 16.5 ppg against WCC foes this season. He has scored 20 or more points in six games this season, including a pair of 25 point game against 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; 34.6) and Tim Derksen (9th; 32.0) both rank in the top-10 among all WCC players in minutes played. Derksen has logged 3,208 minutes over his career, which ranks seventh 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 15th on USF's All-Time Scoring List
With 1,348 career points, senior Tim Derksen ranks 15th on USF's all-time scoring list and needs 28 more points to tie Mark McCathrion (1985-89) for 14th place. Here's a look at where Derksen ranks on USF's all-time scoring list...

USF's Career Scoring Leaders
13.    Pete Cross (1967-70)    1,415
14.    Mark McCathrion (1985-89)    1,376
15.    Tim Derksen (2012-Present)    1,348

Derksen on USF's 3-Point Charts
Tim Derksen is shooting 43.1 percent (41-for-95) from distance this season, which ranks fifth in the WCC. Derksen is shooting 40.5 percent (138-for-341) 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).

Last Time Out 

Ronnie Boyce matched his career high with 25 points while Devin Watson finished with 21 as USF posted a 82-72 victory over Pepperdine. Tim Derksen (18) and Uche Ofoegbu (12) also reached double figures while no other Dons' player scored more than two points. Stacy Davis, who set Pepperdine's career scoring record, led all Wave scorers with 20 points while Jett Raines added 18. Lamond Murray, Jr. (15) and Jeremy Major (13) also scored in double figures. The two teams were never separated by more than four points in the first half. Boyce scored 17 of his 25 points before intermission while Derksen added 12 but it was a three-pointer by Ofoegbu just before the horn gave the Dons a 42-41 lead at the break. The Dons scored first seven points of second half to open a 49-41 lead at the 17:55 mark. USF's lead was two at 68-66 when the Dons seized control of the game with a 12-3 run which boosted the lead to 11 at 80-69 with 1:21 left. Watson keyed the run by nailing two of his four three-pointers in the game's final two and a half minutes. The Dons finished off the Waves at the foul line to win for the fourth consecutive season at Firestone Fieldhouse.