SAN FRANCISCO — The first half of West Coast Conference play concludes this weekend, and the San Francisco women's basketball team hits the road to face No. 18/17 Gonzaga and Portland in the Pacific Northwest on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
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GAME 19 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 24, 2019 – 6 p.m.
Opponent: No. 18/17 Gonzaga (17-2, 6-1 WCC)
Site: Spokane, Wash. (McCarthy Athletic Center)
Live Video: https://bit.ly/2B13j3d
Live Audio: http://bit.ly/2OOiKjs
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2RRdCNc
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GAME 20 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Jan. 26, 2019 – 2 p.m.
Opponent: Portland (9-9, 1-6 WCC)
Site: Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center)
Live Video: https://bit.ly/2S2XKeC
Live Audio: http://bit.ly/2OOiKjs
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2B19WCG
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ABOUT THE DONS
San Francisco (5-13, 1-6 WCC) is currently on a six-game losing streak, its longest in five seasons, when it also lost six straight during the 2013-14 campaign. That doesn't mean the Dons haven't competed, however. They have held leads in five of those six games, including three halftime advantages.
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Ever since Loyola Marymount grabbed 16 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes and beat USF on that end, 21-7, on Jan. 10, the Dons have gotten immensely better with offensive rebounds. San Francisco has grabbed double-digit offensive rebounds in each of the three games since LMU and have only been beaten there once (Pacific on Saturday). They have averaged 14 offensive rebounds per game during that stretch when they were averaging 10.5 in their first 15 games.
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ABOUT No. 18/17 GONZAGA
The No. 18/17 Bulldogs (17-2, 6-1 WCC) suffered their first loss since Thanksgiving weekend last week when first-place BYU edged them, 70-68, in Provo, Utah. Before then, Gonzaga's only loss had been on a neutral floor against the No. 1 team in the country and defending national champion, Notre Dame. Gonzaga has won 13 of its last 14 games, and six of its last seven victories have come by more than 20 points.
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Gonzaga uses a balanced attack on offense and a tight defense to bother opponents. Five Bulldogs are averaging at least 9.1 points per game, led by Zykera Rice's 13.9 ppg. Rice is a two-time WCC Player of the Week already this season, as she also averages a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game. Gonzaga is holding opponents to a WCC-low 37.4 percent shooting while leading the conference with a 45.3 field goal percentage of its own. The same disparity goes for the long ball, as the Bulldogs keep opponents to a WCC-low 27.7 percent from deep while shooting 37.0 percent from 3-point range themselves, second in the conference.
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ABOUT PORTLAND
The Pilots (9-9, 1-6 WCC) have lost six of their last seven games, all in WCC play. Portland went 8-2 in non-conference play, but have only defeated San Diego during conference competition, including going 0-2 at home. Four of the Pilots' last five games have been decided by 10 points or less. They are 5-3 overall at home this season.
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The Pilots boast three players averaging double-digit points per game this season, led by Julie Spencer's 15.8 ppg. Spencer is also the Pilots' leading rebounder at 7.6 per game (fifth in WCC). Portland finds itself at the top and the bottom of several different statistical categories. Portland boasts the second-best scoring offense in the conference with 74.5 points per game, but they also have the worst scoring offense in the WCC, allowing 72.9 points per game. The Pilots are the best free-throw shooting team in the conference at 77.7 percent, but they allow the most rebounds of any team, giving up 40.3 boards per game.
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LAST GAME VS. PACIFIC
Huge runs swung Saturday's game between San Francisco and Pacific back and forth for much of the first three quarters, but a huge effort by the Tigers on the offensive glass in the final period helped give them the edge to pull away for an 85-75 West Coast Conference women's basketball victory at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
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Both teams had already posted huge runs in the game when they entered the fourth quarter separated by just three points. And even though the Dons would own the boards on the day, 36-34, the Tigers grabbed a huge advantage on the offensive glass in the final 10 minutes. They pulled down 11 offensive rebounds to just four from USF, giving them second chance after second chance and not allowing the Dons an opportunity to get back into the game. Pacific was just 4 for 20 from the floor in the fourth, but they grabbed 11 of their 16 misses.
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COMING UP
San Francisco kicks off the second half of WCC play on Feb. 1 with a road trip to the South Bay at rival Santa Clara. The Dons then host Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount on Feb. 7 and 9, respectively. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.
