MORAGA, Calif./PROVO, Utah -- Riding high off their three game winning streak, the USF Dons women's basketball team (9-10, 3-4) is heading back on the road this week for matchups with two quality opponents in the Saint Mary's Gaels (9-7, 3-2) and the No. 16 BYU Cougars (16-1, 6-0).

Thursday's game will be the first meeting between the Dons and Gaels this season, as the Dons won all three meetings last season. USF and BYU kicked off their conference schedule on the Hilltop with the then ranked No. 18 Cougars picking up the 76-64 victory at War Memorial as the Dons were down three starters for that game. 

SAINT MARY'S GAME DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Jan. 27, 2021
Matchup: San Francisco Dons (9-10, 3-4) vs. Saint Mary's Gaels (9-7, 3-2)
Location: Moraga, Calif.
Arena: University Credit Union Pavilion
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Links: Watch/Listen/Stats

BYU GAME DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2021
Matchup: San Francisco Dons (9-10, 3-4) vs. BYU Cougars (16-1, 6-0)
Location: Provo, Utah
Arena: Marriott Center
Time: 1:00 p.m. PT
Links: Watch/Listen/Stats

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE:

• USF took full advantage of having three home games in a row last week, as the Dons knocked off Santa Clara, Pacific and Loyola Marymount in that order including double digit victories over the Tigers and Lions.
• The Dons' offense has been hitting their stride as we reach the middle of the conference season as they're currently fourth in WCC in team shooting percentage at 42% and three-point shooting percentage at 33%. 
• Kennedy Dickie had a tremendous week at home after being inserted into the starting lineup as she posted back-to-back double doubles against Pacific and LMU. The junior from Kelowna set a new career-high with her 23 points against the Tigers. 
• Closing out the home stand, the Dons put together their strongest defensive performance this season, limiting the Lions to a 23% shooting percentage and 14% shooting percentage from inside the perimeter. 
• Dons' point guard Jessica McDowell-White had a tremendous week setting her teammates up with good looks as she's now fourth in the conference in assists at 4.2 per game and is sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.2 more assists than giveaways.

SCOUTING THE GAELS:

• Saint Mary's enter Thursday night's game fresh off a 66-53 loss to Gonzaga on Saturday afternoon.
• Redshirt sophomore Ali Bamberger has been a force for the Gaels this season averaging an impressive 15.5 PPG and 9.3 REB to lead her team. Her size and efficiency scoring the basketball will pose challenges as USF attempts to limit her effectiveness.
• Fifth year senior point guard Madeline Hamilton does it all on the offensive side of the ball for SMC as she leads her team in assists while ranking third in points and rebounds per game. She's also a highly efficient shooter from all levels shooting 51% from the field and 45% from three-point range.
• USF will attempt to take advantage of Saint Mary's defensive struggles this season, as the Gaels have allowed the second most points per game in the WCC at 68.5 so far this season. 

SCOUTING THE COUGARS:

• The Dons will head to Utah seeking to avenge their conference opening defeat at the hands of the Cougars 76-64 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. 
• BYU's senior forward Paisley Harding led the way for her team in their victory in SF as she scored 19 points while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists.
• Dons' guard Jasmine Gayles led both team in points in the most recent meeting as she poured in 22 off of the bench.
• The Cougars have been steam rolling their opponents this season, as their last and only loss of the season came on Dec. 10 as they lost in overtime to the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. 
• BYU leads the conference in many statistical categories on both sides of the ball, including the conference's individual leading scorer sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzales at 18.9 points per game. 

TICKETS AND MERCHANDISE:
Single-game tickets for West Coast Conference basketball games are currently on sale at www.usfdons.com/tickets. 

Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at www.usfdons.com/shop.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.