Scouting Report

About Pacific
Now 8-14 overall and 2-7 in the West Coast Conference…have lost four straight and five of last six games after dropping a 79-73 decision Thursday night at Loyola Marymount….second-lowest scoring team in the WCC averaging 67.5 points a game…rank 10th in field goal percentage (40.5) and three-point percentage (33.1)…are +4.2 on the boards this season and rank first in the WCC in offensive rebound average at 12.3…led in scoring by junior Ray Bowles who is averaging 13.4 points per game…senior T.J. Wallace is contributing 13.0 points a contest…sophomore Anthony Townes ranks seventh in the conference in rebound average (6.5) and is seventh in field goal percentage (55.1)...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.

USF-Pacific Series History
In a series that dates back to the 1911-12 season, USF leads the all-time series with Pacific, 67-35. USF has won seven of the last eight in the series, including a 72-51 decision earlier this season in San Francisco (see below). 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. 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.

First Meeting With Pacific 
The Dons jumped on the Tigers early and raced out to a 14-2 lead at the 14:58 mark of the first half and posted a wire-to-wire win over Pacific on Jan. 14 to snap a four-game losing streak. USF regained its early season form from beyond the three-point line, nailing 14-of-34 three-point attempts, including 10 in the first half as the Dons opened up a 43-18 lead at intermission. The Dons shot 51.9 percent from the field on the night. Charles Minlend scored a game high 16 points while Jordan Ratinho added 12 and Chase Foster 10 to lead the Dons to their 12th win of the season.The Dons limited the Tigers to just 33.3 percent shooting on the night and held Pacific to its second-lowest scoring output of the season.

Last Time Out: Saint Mary's 66, USF 46 
USF dropped a 66-46 decision to 21st-ranked Saint Mary's Thursday night in McKeon Pavilion. Freshman Charles Minlend took team-high scoring honors with 13 points while Emmett Naar and Calvin Hermanson scored 18 each to pace the Gaels. USF led by as many as seven points at 23-16 with 6:53 left before the break and were tied at halftime, 30-30. After allowing USF to shoot 52 percent from the floor in the first half, the nation's second-best defensive team limited the Dons to just 16 points on 29 percent shooting from the floor and posted its 23rd win in the last 24 meetings with USF. The game was tied at 34 when Saint Mary's went on a 12-0 run to seize control of the game. The Gaels lead grew to 20 at 60-40 after Hermanson drained a three with 9:10 left and the Dons could get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

Up Next
USF returns to the Hilltop on Thursday night to play host to the Pepperdine Waves. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. Thursday's game has been designated as Dons of the 70's Night as USF will pay tribute to its legendary teams and players of the 1970s. Some of the players and coaches expected to be in attendance include three-time All-America selection Bill Cartwright, 2017 USF Hall of Fame inductee James Hardy, Mike Quick, Rod Williams, Bart Bowers, Wallace Bryant, Bob Gaillard, Dan Belluomini along with members of the late Phil Smith's family. The first 500 fans in attendance will be treated to a team photo of the 1976-77 USF Dons, which won their first 29 games of the season and were ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the season. USF legends Bill Cartwright and James Hardy will also sign autographs following the game.
 

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