SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (7-10, 3-1) returns to action when it travels to take on Santa Clara (14-5, 2-2) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, at Leavey Center.
 
GAME 18 DETAILS:
Date: January 20, 2024
Time: 1 p.m.
Opponent: Santa Clara
Site: Leavey Center
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Dons Radio Network
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco, coming off a successful second week of conference play, earned wins over Pepperdine and Pacific as the team sits in a tie for second place in the WCC standings.
• In the win at Pacific on Saturday, Jan. 13, Jasmine Gayles scored a career-high 40 points, leading the Dons to a come-from-behind victory in Stockton. Gayles, who averaged 29 points per game in the two victories last week, was named Credit Union 1 WCC Player of the Week for the second time this season. The graduate student from Seattle, Wash., was awarded with the weekly honor the first time after scoring 30 points at UC Santa Barbara in the season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
• Debora dos Santos recorded her 11th double-double of the season in the win over Pacific, posting 12 points and 13 rebounds in 30 minutes of work. Through 17 games, dos Santos continues to average a double-double with 14 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, the lone player in the WCC averaging double figures in multiple statistical categories.
• Dos Santos continues to rank nationally in multiple categories, including total rebounds (t-ninth – 190), rebounds per game (t-10th – 11.2), defensive rebounds per game (19th – 7.5), and double-doubles (t-seventh – 11).
• Hitting her stride at the start of conference play, Freja Werth added 11 points and eight rebounds last Saturday at Pacific. In four league contests, Werth ranks 14th in the WCC in scoring with 12.3 points per game and fourth in rebounding at 7.8 per game.
• As a team in conference play, San Francisco ranks second in the WCC in scoring offense, defense, and scoring margin, trailing only Gonzaga. The Dons are averaging 71.8 points per game while allowing just 59.3, for a scoring margin of 12.5.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:

• Santa Clara enters Saturday's contest in fifth place after earning a convincing 92-36 victory over Pepperdine last Thursday.
• The Broncos controlled the game from the jump, outscoring the Waves 25-7 after the first quarter of play. The team held Pepperdine to single-digit scoring in the second and third quarters and cruised to the 56-point victory.
• Olivia Pollerd and Tess Heal paced the Broncos in the win over the Waves, with Pollerd scoring a game-high 23 points while Heal added 17 on 85.7 percent (six-for-seven) shooting.
• The duo also leads the team in scoring through 19 games, with Heal averaging a team-leading 17.8 points per game. Pollerd ranks second on the team, with 14.4 points per game.
• Heal, the Broncos' standout guard in her second season of collegiate basketball, was also recently named to the 2024 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Midseason Watch List.
• Santa Clara posted the program's most non-conference wins during with 12 after closing the non-conference slate with a win at Arizona State on Saturday, Dec. 30. The Broncos also earned a win over Oregon earlier in the season, giving the team two Power 6 wins, the most since the 2015-16 season.

SERIES HISTORY:
Saturday's game marks the 105th meeting between San Francisco and Santa Clara since the first-ever meeting during the 1976-77 season. Despite the Broncos holding a 57-47 advantage over the Dons in the all-time series, the green and gold have held the upper hand in recent history. The Dons have totaled 10 wins in the last 14 meetings, including winning four-straight games.

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

MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor – Planet Orange - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.