SPOKANE, Wash./PORTLAND, Ore. - Back on the road after a three-game homestand, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (15-5, 4-1 WCC) will aim to get back on track this week as the Dons head to Spokane for a Thursday night showdown at Gonzaga (13-5, 4-1 WCC) before traveling to the Rose City for a Saturday evening battle at Portland (7-13, 1-4 WCC).

GAME 21 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: Gonzaga (13-5, 4-1 WCC)
Site: McCarthey Athletic Center
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
 
GAME 22 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: Portland (7-13, 1-4 WCC)
Site: Chiles Center
Location: Portland, Ore.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• In a highly anticipated Bay Area battle last Saturday, San Francisco suffered its first home loss of the season as Saint Mary's defeated the Dons, 77-60, on Jan. 20. Despite the loss, Ryan Beasley had arguably the best performance of his young career, posting a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench.
• Malik Thomas has posted double-digit scoring in each of the last ten games, with the USC transfer averaging 16.6 points on 57.0 percent shooting across the ten-game stretch.
• In conference play, Mogbo continues to dominate as he leads the WCC in rebounds per game (11.8) and field goal percentage (71.4) along with being second in the league in points per game (20.2). Overall, Mogbo also currently ranks second in the NCAA in field goal percentage, shooting at a 68.04 percent clip heading into Thursday.
• Starting conference play with a 4-1 record for the first time in five years, San Francisco received a vote in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since the final poll of the 2021-22 season, when the Dons made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed.
• As a unit, the Dons currently rank ninth in the nation in field goal percentage (50.0), tenth in opponent points per game (63.0) and eleventh in scoring margin (15.0). 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• After suffering an upset one-point defeat at Santa Clara two weeks ago, Gonzaga has bounced back with two blowout road victories as the Bulldogs now return home tied with the Dons for the third-best conference record in the WCC at 4-1. Last week, the Bulldogs took care of business against Pepperdine and San Diego, taking the victories by an average of 33.5 points. In the win against the Toreros, redshirt freshman Braden Huff led the team with a career-high 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting off the bench while also adding five rebounds.
• For his efforts last week, Huff was named WCC Freshman of the Week on Wednesday morning. Notably, he is now tied with Tyler Harris of Portland for the most Freshman of the Week honors (3) in the conference this season.
• In WCC action, Gonzaga leads the conference in points per game (90.8), scoring margin (23.8), field goal percentage (54.6), opponent field goal percentage (39.0), rebounds per game (40.8) and assists per game (20.0). Overall, the Zags rank in the top ten across Division I in field goal percentage (50.43, sixth), scoring margin (17, seventh), rebounds per game (42.28, tied-seventh) and points per game (85.6, tenth).
• Gonzaga is the only team in the WCC with five players averaging double-figure scoring. Overall, forwards Anton Watson and Graham Ike lead the charge for GU, averaging 14.8 and 14.6 points per game, respectively.
• Guard Ryan Nembhard currently leads the WCC in assists per game (8.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (8.2) in conference play. Impressively, he has tallied 41 assists and just 5  turnovers in five conference games for GU so far. Overall, Nembhard is averaging 6.4 assists per game for the season, the eleventh-highest average in Division I.

SCOUTING THE PILOTS:

• After opening conference play with a win against Pacific, Portland has lost four straight contests, most recently falling at home to San Diego in a narrow 85-81 defeat on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
• Despite the team's recent struggles, Tyler Robertson has been a bright spot for the Pilots as the senior has continued to record double-figure scoring in every game this season, averaging 18.4 points per game in conference play, good for third-best in the WCC.
• In WCC contests, Portland leads the league in three-pointers per game, averaging 10.4 makes from beyond-the-arc.
• After making his Pilots debut in the first game of conference play, sophomore Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams has provided a spark for UP as the transfer from Lamar is averaging 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds on 53.7 percent shooting from the field and 44.4 percent from three across Portland's five games of WCC action.
• Portland will head to Los Angeles for a battle against LMU on Thursday night before heading back home to take on the Dons on Saturday evening at Chiles Center.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday's meeting between San Francisco and Gonzaga will mark the 94th matchup all-time between the two programs, with the Bulldogs holding the all-time series advantage 71-22. The two teams last met in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament last year, where the Zags took the 84-73 victory to advance to the conference championship game. The Dons will look for their first victory against Gonzaga since Feb. 18, 2012 and their first win in Spokane since Feb. 10, 1989.
• Saturday's meeting between San Francisco and the Pilots will mark the 99th match-up all-time between the two programs, with the Dons leading the all-time series 68-30. The two programs faced off in the second week of conference play on Jan. 13, with San Francisco taking the 96-69 victory in its first home game of WCC action. The green and gold are also looking for their first win in Portland in two years after the Pilots took the 92-87 victory at home last season on Jan. 12, 2023.

TRACK THE ACTION:
Thursday night's contest will air live on ESPN2 at game time with Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham on the call. Saturday evening's contest will air live on ESPN+ at game time. Both games will also air live on KNBR 1050 with Pat Olson on the call. Live streaming, radio and live statistics are available above and via the team's schedule page.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB 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 sponsor - Corona - 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.