Game at a Glance
San Francisco Dons (11-7, 1-4 WCC) vs. Pacific Tigers (8-10, 2-3 WCC)
Saturday,  Jan. 14, 2017 • 8:00 p.m.
War Memorial at the Sobrato Center • San Francisco, Calif.
Series Record: USF 66-35
Last Meeting: Feb. 25, 2016 (UOP 79-70)
Television: CSNBA (Kate Scott, Play-by-Play; Kelenna Azubuike, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Audio Stream: USFDons.com/TheW.tv (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

Opening Tip
USF (11-7, 1-4 WCC) returns to the Hilltop Saturday night to face the Pacific Tigers (8-10, 2-3 WCC). Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and the game will be carried live on CSNBA with Kate Scott and Kelenna Azubuike calling the action from court side. The Dons have dropped four straight after suffering a 85-75 defeat at BYU on Thursday while the Tigers downed Pepperdine, 79-74 in Stockton.

The Dandy Dons

• Now 11-7 overall and 1-4 in the WCC after dropping a 85-75 decision at BYU on Thursday night...have lost four straight and five of the last six games dating back to Christmas Day.
• Are two games ahead of last year's pace when the Dons were 9-9 after 18 games on its way to a 11-9 record at the 20-game mark...USF's 10 non-conference wins were the most since 2011-12 (10) and marked the fourth time since 1985-86 the Dons had won at least 10 non-conference games.
• Meet Pacific for the first time this season on Saturday...Dons are 66-35 all-time vs. the Tigers and have won seven out of the last nine meetins in the series.
• Are 6-3 at home this season with losses coming against Portland State, No. 5 Gonzaga and No. 19 Saint Mary's.
• Now rank third in the WCC in scoring at 75.9 points per game...averaging 69.0 ppg in five WCC games after averaging 78.5 in 13 non-conference games.
• Rank third in the WCC in field goal percentage at 47.0...shot 50 percent or better from the floor in six of the first eight games of the season and have eclipsed the 50 percent mark twice in last eight games...shot 50 percent or better in just six games last year...shooting 41.6 percent (169-for-406) over last seven games.
• Lead the WCC and rank 26th nationally in three's made per game (9.5)...have made 10 or more three's in eight games this season, including a school-record 18 against Eastern Washington and 16 vs. Utah.
• Have slipped to fifth in 3PT field goal percentage at 37.3...were shooting 43.3 percent from long distance 11 games into the season, but have since gone 45-for-167 (26.9) from distance over last seven games.
• Four players - Charles Minlend (31), Ronnie Boyce (31), Jordan Ratinho (29) and Chase Foster (26) -- have made 20+ threes this season while a total of seven players have made 10 or more shots from distance.
• Rank 10th in the WCC in free throw percentage at 62.9 percent...shooting 61.5 (109-for-177) from the line over the last 10 games.
• USF's reserves have combined to score 356 points over the last nine games (39.5) and have outscored the opponent's bench 611-323 (+288) over the last 17 games.
• Have started a lineup consisting of three sophomores (Matt McCarthy, Nate Renfro, Mladen Djordjevic) and two freshmen (Charles Minlend, Jordan Ratinho) in each of the last two games...of USF's 15-man roster, 13 players are underclassmen.
• Freshmen Remu Raitanen (16) and Jimbo Lull (12) recorded career highs in Thursday's game at BYU...freshmen or sophomore accounted for 65 of USF's 75 points against the Cougars.
• Senior Ronnie Boyce has scored 20 or more points five times this season and 11 times in his career...he leads the Dons in scoring with a 15.1 per game average.
• With an 10.4 ppg scoring average, Charles Minlend ranks as the second-highest scoring freshman in the WCC. behind BYU's TJ Haws (13.1).
• Play host to the Portland Pilots next Thursday night on the Hilltop before wrapping up the week in San Diego on Saturday, which is the first of three consecutive road games for the Dons.

Scouting Report

About Pacific
Improved to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in the WCC after defeating Pepperdine, 79-74 Thursday night in Stockton in a game that featured six ties and 11 lead changes…have won two of its last three games heading into Saturday's contest on the Hilltop…under the direction of first-year head coach Damon Stoudamire, who played collegiately at Arizona before embarking on a 13-year NBA career…he is one of four new head coaches in the WCC this season…led in scoring by senior T.J. Wallace with a 13.6 ppg average…junior Ray Bowles is averaging 13.3 a game…sophomore Jack Williams ranks seventh in the WCC in rebound average at 6.6, while Anthony Townes ranks ninth (6.3)…Townes also ranks seventh in the WC with 57.6 field goal percentage…Tigers are averaging 70.3 points a game, which ranks ninth in the WCC…averaging a conference-best 12.7 offensive rebounds a game.

USF-Pacific Series History
In a series that dates back to the 1911-12 season, USF leads the all-time series with Pacific, 66-35. USF has won six of the last seven in the series. The two teams split last year's games, with the Dons winning 89-76 on Dec. 23 in San Francisco and the Tigers claiming a 79-70 win on Feb. 25 in Stockton (see below). Two of the charter members of the WCC, USF and Pacific met 44 times as conference foes from 1952-71, with the Dons holding a 30-14 advantage.

Last Year's Meetings With Pacific 
USF nailed a season-high 13 three-pointers and roared back from a 19-point first half deficit to defeat Pacific 89-76 on Dec. 23 in War Memorial at The Sobrato Center. Four Dons scored in double figures, led by sophomore Devin Watson, who made all five of his three-point attempts en route to a game-high 23 points. Ronnie Boyce III made his first career start and finished with a career high 20 points. Tim Derksen recorded his third double-double of the season with 16 points to go along with 14 rebounds while Uche Ofoegbu reached double figures for the fourth straight game, finishing with 14 points. Pacific had the upper hand early on, as the Tigers opened as much as a 19-point lead at 43-24. However, USF outscored the Tigers 12-2 over the last 3:35 of the half to cut the Tiger lead to single digits at the break at 45-36. Trailing 68-66 with 8:14 remaining, the Dons outscored Pacific 23-8 down the stretch to defeat the Tigers for the sixth consecutive time dating back to the 2013-14 season.

In the return game in Stockton on Feb. 25, the Tigers downed the Dons, 79-70 before a crowd of 2,381 to pick up their first win against USF in seven tries. USF held a 68-67 lead with 4:09 remaining but was outscored 12-2 down the stretch. Four Dons scored in double figures, led by Devin Watson's team-high 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Uche Ofoegbu added 16, Chase Foster matched a career high with 13 and Tim Derksen chipped in with 12. Eric Thompson made 7-of-8 shots from the floor and scored 16 points to lead three Tigers in double figures. The Dons shot just 40 percent from the game and were just 19-of-37 from the foul line in absorbing a nine-point road loss. The Tigers shot 51 percent from the floor, including 56 percent in the second half. Pacific led 36-29 at halftime but USF outscored the Tigers 10-2 coming out of intermission to cut the lead to 40-39. A pair of Foster free throws with 4:09 left gave the Dons a 68-67 lead with 4:07 remaining, but the Tigers then went on a 12-0 run keyed by three-pointers by Alec Kobre and Ray Bowles to take a 79-68 lead with :34 left. Pacific finished off the Dons at the foul line to earn their eighth win of the season.The Dons went without a field goal for the final 5:41 of the game.

Last Time Out: BYU 85, USF 75 
USF got career highs from Remu Raitanen and Jimbo Lull but BYU used a dominant inside game to come away with an 85-75 win Thursday night at the Marriott Center. Raitanen made 6-of-11 shots from the field, including 4-of-8 from distance, in scoring a career-best 16 points. Lull scored 10 of his career-high 12 points in the first half to keep the Dons within striking distance at the break. Chase Foster and Nate Renfro each finished with 10 points. The Dons had no answer for BYU sophomore big man Eric Mika, who scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field. Mika also pulled down 12 rebounds for a double-double. Sophomore guard Nick Emery, who scored a career-high 37 points in last year's game at USF, knocked down four three-pointers and finished with 22 points. Elijiah Bryant was also in double figures with 14 points. The Dons shot 42.6 percent from the floor and are still struggling from beyond the arc, where USF managed to make just 8-of-33 three point attempts on the evening. The Cougars took advantage of 22-of-29 shooting from the line while the Dons were 9-of-16 from the stripe.

Up Next
USF will return to action Thursday night when the Dons play host to the Portland Pilots beginning at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available on-line at USFDons.com/tickets or by calling (415) 422-2USF.

Fan Guide

Ticket Information
Reserved and general admission tickets for remaining WCC home games, are available for purchase on-line at USFDons.com/tickets or by calling (415) 422-2USF (2873).

Free 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 at the top of Hayes-Healy garage on Golden Gate Avenue adjacent to the gymnasium. Campus parking lots of choice include the lot at the Koret Center, located at the corner of Turk and Parker and the Hayes-Healy underground garage, located on Golden Gate Ave. just past the Sobrato Center. Due to expected large turnouts for both games, fans are encouraged to arrive early. View campus parking map here.
 
The Hilltop Club Level
Fans 21 and older can enjoy beer, wine, chips, and soda throughout 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 is open one hour before tip-off and will remain accessible throughout the game. Admission to the The Hilltop Club is priced at $10 per game. Drink tickets are extra and the Club Admission does not include a game ticket.