GAME AT A GLANCE
San Francisco Dons 8-5, 0-0 WCC) vs. San Diego (9-3, 0-0 WCC)
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017 • 6:00 p.m.
Jenny Craig Pavilion • San Diego, Calif.
Series Record: Dons lead 44-36
Last Meeting: Jan. 21, 2017 USF 60 – USD 43, Jenny Craig Pavilion
Radio: 95.7 The Game (Pat Olson, Play-by-Play; Jim Brovelli, Analyst)
TV: Spectrum | ROOT NW | NBCS CA+ (Steve Quis, Play-by-Play; Casey Jacobsen, Analyst)
Live Stats: USDToreros.com 
 
 
SAN DIEGO – The University of San Francisco men's basketball team begins West Coast Conference play on Thursday when the Dons travel to Jenny Craig Pavilion to take on San Diego at 6:00 p.m.
 
The Dons (8-5) are coming of a tournament championship at the Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic after defeating Nevada 66-64 in a thriller.  Junior forward Matt McCarthy was named the Tournament MVP and was joined by Nate Renfro and Chase Foster on the All-Tournament Team.
 
Foster is one of three Dons averaging double figures, who is led by freshman Souley Boum's team-leading 14.0 points per game.  Foster is second on the squad with 12.0 points per game, followed by Jordan Ratinho's 10.3 points per game. 
 
Speaking of Ratinho, it was his 3-point field goal with 6.4 seconds that put the Dons out front over the Wolf Pack, their first victory of the year when trailing in the final five minutes of a contest. 
 
ABOUT THE DONS

• USF is averaging 69.0 points per contest, but holding their opponents to 66.3.  The Dons are one of the best defensive teams in the conference, ranking No. 2 in points per game allowed, and tied for third in defensive field goal percentage, holding teams to 41.6 percent from the floor.   
• Their 8-5 record makes them one of five teams in the WCC with a winning record following the completion of non-conference play.
• The Dons win over Nevada gives USF with two wins against teams sporting RPI's in the top-60, the other came against UC Davis (currently 57 according to RealTimeRPI.com) on Dec. 15.
• The Dons wrap up a busy month of December in Portland on the 30^th, USF is currently 5-3 in December.
• As a team, USF is shooting 40.0 (307-for-768), they love the 3-point field goal, averaging 26 attempts a game from long range, making 8.5.  Leading the team in field goal percentage is Matt McCarthy who is shooting 47.6 percent from the field.

SERIES VERSUS THE TOREROS
The Dons (8-5) and Toreros (9-3) have met 80 times with USF owning a 44-36 advantage in the series.  They first met on Nov. 30, 1973 with the Dons earning a 73-60 win.  The Dons are currently riding a four-game winning streak against the Toreros, after sweeping the season series last year.  The last time these two teams squared off was on Jan. 21, 2017 when the Dons defeated USD 60-43 at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
 
ABOUT THE TOREROS

• The Toreros continue to be one of the top defensive teams in the country as they rank No. 1 in 3-point FG% defense (.233), No. 8 in FG% defense (.370) and No. 12 in scoring defense (61.1).
• Among WCC players, Isaiah Wright is No. 2 in assists (6.0), No. 3 in steals (1.8) and No. 15 in scoring (13.6); Isaiah Pineiro is No. 8 in scoring (15.2) and No. 9 in rebounding (6.3); Olin Carter III is No. 4 in 3-pointers made per game (2.5) and Yauhen Massalski is No. 4 in blocked shots per game (1.4).
• The Toreros closed out their non-conference slate with a 94-51 win over Life Pacific.  Isaiah Wright notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists.  Isaiah Pineiro scored a game-high 16 points and was followed by Tyler Williams (15) and Yauhen Massalski (14).  USD outrebounded the Warriors 49-23 and collected a season-high 10 blocked shots.
• The Toreros return four starters (20 or more starts) from last year's 13-18 club: junior guard Olin Carter, III (15.3 ppg), senior forward Cameron Neubauer (11.0 ppg), sophomore forward Juwan Gray (7.2 ppg) and junior guard Tyler Williams (6.7 ppg).