Game at a Glance
San Francisco Dons (11-4, 1-1 WCC) vs. No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-0, 2-0 WCC)
Thursday,  Jan. 5, 2017 • 6:00 p.m. 
War Memorial at The Sobrato Center • San Francisco, Calif.
Series Record: Gonzaga 53-22
Last Meeting: Jan. 30, 2016 (Gonzaga 86-48)
Television: ESPN2 (Eric Rothman, Play-by-Play; Adrian Branch, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Radio: 95.7 FM The GAME (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)

Complete USF Game Notes (PDF)

Opening Tip
USF (11-4, 1-1 WCC) returns home Thursday night to host the 5th-ranked (AP) Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-0, 2-0 WCC). USF is coming off a 72-58 loss at Santa Clara on Saturday while the Zags picked up an 81-61 victory at Pacific. Thursday's game tips off at 6:00 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN2. The game will also be broadcast on 95.7 FM The GAME.

Worth Watching

• USF and Gonzaga have combined to win/share more than half of the WCC's regular season championships, with the Dons claiming 15 titles and the Zags 19.
• The last time USF defeated a top-five team was on Dec. 29, 1981 when the 6th-ranked Dons downed No. 2 Wichita State, 84-74 at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu.
• USF enters the game leading the WCC in three-point field goal percentage at 40.3…however, the Zags are allowing opponents to shoot just 28.5 percent from beyond the arc, which is the 11th-best mark in the nation,
• Gonzaga is the highest scoring team in the conference averaging 84.9 points a game, despite not having a player rank any higher than 13th among the conference scoring leaders.
• USF has lost nine straight to Gonzaga after going 3-3 against the Zags in regular season matchups from 2009-12.

The Dandy Dons

• Now 11-4 overall and 1-1 in the WCC after dropping a 72-58 decision at Santa Clara on Saturday...Ronnie Boyce scored a game-high 23 points but USF could not survive 13 Bronco three-pointers.
• Are off to its best 15-game start since the 1999-2000 team was 12-3 after 15 games on the way to a 13-3, 16-game start...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.
• 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 13-2 start.
• Face No. 5 Gonzaga on Thursday followed by No. 19 Saint Mary's on Saturday...marks the first time since the 1993-94 season USF has faced AP-ranked teams in consecutive games (No. 5 Kentucky/No. 10 Purdue) and only the second-time ever the Dons have faced back-to-back challenges from WCC opponents ranked in the top-25 (No. 20 Loyola Marymount; Feb. 4 and 9, 1990).
• The last time USF defeated a top-10 team was on Dec. 29, 1981, when the 6th-ranked Dons downed No.  2 Wichita State, 84-74 at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu...other wins vs. top-five teams came in the 1955 (77-63 vs. No. 3 La Salle) and '56 (83-71 vs. No. 5 Iowa) NCAA Championship games and against No. 5 Notre Dame (79-70; Jan. 10, 1978). 
• Now rank fourth in the WCC in scoring at 77.3 points per game...averaging 66.5 ppg (266 total) over last four contests after scoring 81.1 (893 total) over the first 11 games.
• Have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in eight games this season...had six such shooting games all of last year...rank third in the WCC in field goal pct. at 48.1.
• Still lead the WCC and rank 20th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (40.3)...also lead the conference and rank 11th nationally in three's made per game (10.2)...have made 10 or more three's in eight games this season, including a school-record 18 against Eastern Washington and 16 vs. Utah.
• Four players - Charles Minlend (30), Ronnie Boyce (29), Chase Foster (24) and Jordan Ratinho (25) -- have made 20+ threes this season while a total of seven players have made 10 or more shots from distance.
• Are 6-1 at home this season with the only blemish coming against Portland State, 82-78 on Dec. 16.
• Rank ninth in the WCC in free throw percentage at 65.1 percent...shooting 63.0 (82-for-130) from the line over the last seven games.
• USF's reserves have combined to score 255 points over the last six games...Dons' bench has outscored the opponents 510-264 (+246) over the last 14 games.
• 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 16.0 per game average.
• With an 11.3 ppg scoring average, Charles Minlend ranks as the second-high scoring freshman in the WCC. behind BYU's TJ Haws (13.3).

Scouting Report

About Gonzaga
At 14-0 (2-0 WCC), are off to its best start in school history…enter Thursday's game ranked No. 5 in the AP and No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Polls…picked up wins last week over Pepperdine (92-62) and Pacific (81-61)…rank first or second in 10 WCC statistical categories…are the WCC's highest-scoring team at 84.9 ppg, despite not having a player averaging more than 13.8 points a game…allowing opponents to shoot just 37.3 percent on the year, which is the eighth-best opponent field goal percentage in the country…opponents shooting at just a 28.5 percent clip from beyond the arc, which is the 11th-best three-point field goal defense percentage in the nation…led in scoring by Washington-transfer Nigel Williams-Goss, who is averaging 13.8 ppg…senior Przemek Karnowski, who was limited to five games last season with a back injury, is back at full strength and is averaging 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game…advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season before falling to Syracuse…have made 18 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances…under the direction of Mark Few, who is in his 18th season as head coach at Gonzaga and 28th overall…Few, who began his tenure at Gonzaga as a graduate assistant coach under the late Dan Fitzgerald, is the winningest active coach in the NCAA with a .808 winning percentage.

Series History with Gonzaga
In a series that dates back to the 1961-62 season, Gonzaga leads the all-time series with USF, 53-22, including 47-17 in WCC play. Gonzaga has won nine straight in the series dating back to USF's last win, 66-65 on Feb. 18, 2012 in San Francisco. Last season, the Bulldogs claimed a 102-92 overtime decision in the first meeting between the two schools on Jan. 2 in San Francisco and then completed the season sweep with a 84-48 victory in Spokane on Jan. 30 (see below). The Zags hold a 3-1 advantage in WCC Championship games.

Last Year's Meetings With Gonzaga 
In the first meeting on Jan. 2, USF failed to hold a 16-point, 74-58 lead with 8:49 left in regulation and dropped a 102-94 overtime decision to 24th-ranked Gonzaga on The Hilltop. The Dons were nursing a 10-point lead at 79-69 with 3:02 left when the Zags went on a 13-0 run to take a 82-79 lead. Tim Derksen hit a game tying three-pointer with :07 left to send the game into overtime. However, the Zags outscored the Dons, 20-12 in the extra period to fend off the upset bid. Devin Watson scored a career high 33 points while Ronnie Boyce III added 20 to pace four Dons in double figures. Domantas Sabonis (35) and Kyle Wiltjer (30) combined for 65 points for Gonzaga, which shot 54.4 percent from the field on the night. The Dons made 14-of-31 three-pointers, with Watson and Boyce connecting on five apiece.

In the return game in Spokane on Jan. 30, Gonzaga made 15-of-37 of its three-point attempts and used a dominant inside game to defeat the Dons for the ninth straight game and 27th consecutive time in Spokane, 86-46 Saturday night at the McCarthy Athletic Center. Uche Ofoegbu led all USF scorers with 16 points while Devin Watson added 11. No other Don player had more than six points. USF managed to shoot just 30.5 percent from the field on the night, including 4-of-25 from distance. Domantas Sabonis, Kyle Wiltjer and Silas Nelson each had 15 points for the Zags while Josh Perkins (13) and Bryan Alberts (10) also reached double figures. USF, which never led in the game, missed its first seven shots from the floor and fell behind 8-0 four and a half minutes into the game. Trailing 21-7 with 7:33 left, the Dons went on a 15-7 run to cut the Zag lead to six at 28-22 but Gonzaga answered the Dons spurt by ripping off 11 straight points to build a 17-point, 39-22 lead at intermission. Gonzaga hit three of its first four three-pointers of the second half and extended its lead to 21 points at 52-31 with 15:13 remaining. The lead grew to 28 points at 61-33 forcing a USF timeout with 12:33 left. The Zags led by as many as 41 points at 84-43 with 4:32 remaining in the game and coasted to the 38-point victory.

Last Time Out: Santa Clara 72, USF 58 
Santa Clara nailed 13-of-26 three-pointers while the Dons managed to make just 5-of-23 shots from distance to come away with the 14-point victory. Ronnie Boyce scored a team high 23 points for the Dons whiile Jordan Ratinho (12) and Matt McCarthy (10) also reached double figures. McCarthy also pulled down 10 rebounds for his second double double of the season. Santa Clara was led by KJ Feagin's 22 points while Jared Brownridge added 20, including 13 in the second half. Of Feagin's 22 points, 12 came from beyond the three-point line, where he was 4-for-5 on the night. The Dons shot 38.9 percent compared to Santa Clara, which finished at 43.4. USF trailed, 38-28 at halftime but outscored the Broncos, 8-2 to start the second half and cut the lead to four at 40-36 with 14:50 remaining. USF crept to within three at 43-40 after a McCarthy layup but the Broncos quieted the run by reeling off the next seven points to boost their lead back to 10 at 53-43 with 8:19 remaining. USF managed to cut the lead to eight at 53-45 with 7:04 left, only to see Santa Clara score 10 of the next 12 points to take a 63-47 lead with 4:16 left. The Broncos largest lead was 18 at 69-51.

Up Next
USF meets 19th-ranked Saint Mary's on Saturday in a game that will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. on the Hilltop. Saturday's USF-St, Mary's game will be broadcast on CSNBA with Glen Kuiper and Dan Belluomini calling the action and on 95.7 FM The GAME.

Fan Guide

Ticket Information
A limited number of reserved and general admission tickets for USF's games this week against Gonzaga (Jan. 5) and Saint Mary's (Jan. 7), along with all other WCC home games, are 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.

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.