Women's Basketball | 3/17/2016 11:19:00 AM

Game 33: No. 13 USF (21-11) vs. No. 4 Stanford (24-7)
- NCAA FIRST ROUND -
Saturday, March 19 | 6 p.m. | Maples Pavilion (7,233)

WATCH: ESPN2 (Bob Picozzi and Mary Murphy)
STREAM: WATCH ESPN
LISTEN: USF Audio (George Devine)

USF Postseason Media Guide | Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Saturday's Events

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The Dons are hosting a tailgate to celebrate the NCAA-bound women's basketball team prior to their NCAA first round contest. The festivities begin at 3:30 p.m., and will run until 5:30 p.m., 30 minutes prior to tip between the 13th-seeded Dons and the No. 4 seed Cardinal. The tailgate will take place outside of Jimmy V's Sports Café, located at the Arrillaga Family Sports Center (641 Campus Drive) across the street from the basketball arena. [MORE INFORMATION]

Fans still in need of tickets can visit gostanford.com and use the promo code USFDONS to see available options in the USF seating sections.

#OneTeam • #DancingDons

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After a sixth-place finish in the regular season, the Dons marched through the top three seeds in the league to earn its fourth NCAA appearance in school history. USF knocked off No. 3 San Diego in an overtime affair, following it up with a semifinal victory against No. 2 Saint Mary's. The run was capped by a 70-68 championships win against No. 1 and fellow NCAA Tournament team BYU. 

In all three games, USF was able to overtake its opponents in the final minute of regulation to survive and advance.

The Dons were paced by WCC Tournament Most Valuable Player Taylor Proctor's two double-doubles, and a last-second shot in regulation to force the extra period against San Diego. She averaged 23.3 points on 56.8 percent shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the trio of games. She's leading the squad on the season with averages of 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 blocks. Fellow senior Zhane Dikes, USF's point guard and WCC Tournament, adds 14.2 points, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals a game. Junior Rachel Howard rounds out the double-digit scorers, contributing 11.6 points per game on 41.0 percent shooting from 3-point range.

By the Numbers (NCAA rank in parentheses)

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• When the Dons have the ball •
USF Scoring Offense - 72.0 (46) | Stanford Scoring Defense - 53.8 (17)
USF Field Goal Pct. - .431 (45) | Stanford FG Pct. Defense - .326 (2)
USF 3FG Pct. - .367 (19) | Stanford 3FG Pct. Defense - .300 (112)
USF Free Throw Pct. - .745 (37)

• When the Cardinal has the ball •
Stanford Scoring Offense - 67.5 (107) | USF Scoring Defense - 66.9 (240)
Stanford Field Goal Pct. - .421 (76) | USF FG Pct. Defense - .393 (165)
Stanford 3FG Pct. - .358 (27) | USF 3FG Pct. Defense - .344 (315)
Stanford Free Throw Pct. - .691 (186)

Comparison (USF/Stanford):
Scoring Margin: +5.1/+13.7
Rebounds/Game: 37.8/41.5
Assists/Game: 15.3/14.7
Turnovers/Game: 16.9/14.3
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 0.9/1.0
Steals/Game: 8.6/7.0
Blocks/Game: 3.0/6.2

A Season of Success                  

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The Dons have been on a steady upward trajectory during the Azzi Era, rising from taking over a program with five total wins and one WCC victory in 2009-10, to finishing with the most WCC wins in well over a decade.

The last time the Dons:
Were in the NCAA tournament - 1996-97
Won 20 games in a season - 1996-97
Posted back-to-back winning seasons - 1996-97
Averaged 70 points per game - 1994-95
Averaged 15 assists a game - 2000-01
Won nine WCC games - 2001-02
Started the season 9-2 - 2014-15
Had a seven-game winning streak - 1996-97
Had a 30-point game performance - 2011-12
Had two 30-point games in a season - 2007-08

USF in the Rankings

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Entering postseason play, the Dons find themselves sitting pretty in both the West Coast Conference and NCAA rankings as a team and individually. 

The Dons are in the top three in the WCC in scoring offense (72.0 ppg/2nd), field goal percentage (.431/2nd), 3-point field goal percentage (.367/3rd) and free throw percentage (.745/2nd). USF is also near the tops in the league in assists (15.3 apg/2nd). On the other side of the ball, the Dons are second in defensive rebounds (26.2) and third in defensive rebound percentage (.695) in the WCC's final tally. 

Nationally, USF rates ninth in free throws made (487), 19th in 3-point field goal percentage, 37th in free throw percentage, and 46th in assists per game.

Individually, All-WCC First Team selection and WCC Tournament Most Valuable Player Taylor Proctor dots the conference and NCAA lists in a plethora of categories, including points per game (18.5 ppg - 3rd WCC/50th NCAA), rebounding (8.5 rpg - 4th WCC), field goal percentage (.488 - 5th WCC), assists per game (3.3 - 8th WCC) and blocks per game (1.1 - 3rd WCC). Also of note, Rachel Howard enters the NCAA tournament shooting 41.0 percent from 3-point range, good for fourth in the league and 26th in the NCAA, and Zhane Dikes' 139 made free throws rates third in the conference and 34th in the country.

On the Offensive

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Under the tutelage of one of the best point guards to play the game, the Dons have improved their offensive output and team mentality of sharing the ball and assisting the shooter. 

In the year previous to Azzi's arrival on the Hilltop, the Dons shot .338 from the field, .308 from 3-point range and averaged 9.8 assists per game. Currently, the Dons are connecting on 43.1 percent of their attempts, and hitting threes at a rate of 36.7 percent, and USF is second the WCC in assists per game with 15.3.

70 - The Magic Number

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The Dons are 17-1 on the season when scoring at least 70 points, with the loss coming at the hands of Utah Valley in a 94-88 overtime game on Nov. 23.

NCAA Active Career Leaders

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Taylor Proctor currently stands as one of 10 women in the NCAA with at least 1,500 points and 900 rebounds. She is joined on the senior-laden list by defending NCAA Player of the Year Breanna Stewart (UConn), Shereesha Richards (Albany), Jillian Alleyne (Oregon), Courtney Williams (South Florida), Nathalie Fontaine (Ball State), Joy Adams (Iona), Erika Livermore (Fairleigh Dickinson), Brittney Martin (Oklahoma State), . Michigan State's Aerial Powers is the lone junior to join the list.

She ranks 35th among active Division I scoring leaders (1,772 points). She also lands in the top-50 among active players in field goals (645/37th) and double-doubles (27/35th). Fellow senior Zhane Dikes rates 15th in NCAA Division I in career free throw attempts (609) and 17th in makes (439).

Dons in the NCAA Championships

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USF sports a 2-3 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, advancing in the brackets once, when the team made a run to the Sweet 16 in 1996.

1995
NCAA First Round – 
March 16, 1995 - Seattle, Wash.
Arkansas 67, San Francisco 58              
USF made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995, as the No. 11 seed in the West Region. The Dons traveled to the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle to face Arkansas. Brittany Lindhe led the way with 21 points, while Jamie Shadian and Renee Demirdjian each added 11 as the Dons got its first taste of the Dance.

1996
NCAA First Round – 
March 16, 1996 - Durham, N.C.
San Francisco 68, No. 16 Florida 51                 
USF earned its second NCAA appearance as the No. 12 seed in the Mideast Region. The Dons started their Cinderella run with a 68-61 victory over then-No. 16 Florida. Valerie Gillon dominated with a 28-point, nine-rebound performance, while Andrea Kagie added 15 points off the bench. USF led 31-29 at halftime and never trailed in the second half.

NCAA Second Round – 
March 18, 1996 - Durham, N.C.
San Francisco 64, No. 13 Duke 60                
San Francisco garnered the biggest win in school history as the Dons shocked regional host, then-No. 13 Duke, 64-60, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. For the Blue Devils, it was the first non-conference loss at home since 1991. Brittany Lindhe led the Dons with 17 points, while Julie Murdent scored 14 points off the bench, and Renee Demirdjian added a dozen in the victory.

NCAA Sweet 16 – 
March 23, 1996 - Chicago, Ill.
No. 2 Connecticut 72, San Francisco 44          
The eyes of the country were on USF as the team faced defending national champions, Connecticut, in the Sweet Sixteen. In front of the largest crowd (7,190) to watch a women's basketball game in Illinois, the Dons fell short, dropping the 72-44 decision to the Huskies. The game was tied 13-13 midway through the first half before UConn pulled away for a 37-28 halftime lead. Valerie Gillon scored 13 points in her final collegiate contest, while Julie Murdent came off the bench to add 10 points. 

1997
NCAA First Round – 
March 15, 1997 - Gainesville, Fla.
Southern California 68, San Francisco 55        
The Dons were awarded a No. 11 seed in the Mideast Region and were slated to face No. 6 USC in the opening round. San Francisco came out of the gates strong and trailed by only six at halftime. The Dons eventually fell 68-55 to the Women of Troy. Brittany Lindhe paced USF with 15 points, while Renee Demirdjian added 13 points in her final game wearing Green and Gold.

Sowing Seeds

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USF's sports the No. 13 seed in the bracket, its lowest seeding in four appearances in the tournament field.

Seed     Record (Years)        
No. 11 - 0-2 (1995, '97)
No. 12 - 2-1 (1996)
No. 13 - 0-0 (2016)

Get Connected

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Fans can follow the Dons in a variety of ways:
- Via the departmental Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat with the username donsathletics.
- Through the USF women's basketball team-specific Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
- On YouTube at USFDonsAthletics, where fans can view video segments online
- On Comcast SportsNet California in USF Athletics' monthly show, "Behind the Mask"
- With previews, recaps, videos, features and more as seen on USFDons.com