SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (7-11, 3-2) returns to the Hilltop to host two West Coast Conference contests starting with Loyola Marymount (8-10, 3-3) at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, followed with a showdown against No. 17 Gonzaga (18-2, 5-0) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
GAME 19 DETAILS:
Date: January 25, 2024
Time: 6 p.m.
Opponent: Loyola Marymount
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
GAME 20 DETAILS:
Date: January 27, 2024
Time: 2 p.m.
Opponent: Gonzaga
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco returns home after taking on Santa Clara on the road on Saturday, Jan. 20. The Dons battled the Broncos throughout the first three quarters of play but ultimately fell short, 72-59.
• Jasmine Gayles led the team in scoring at Santa Clara, posting 17 points for her ninth straight game in double figures. Gayles, who leads the team and ranks third in the conference in scoring, is averaging 17.7 points per game through 18 games this season.
• Reaching double figures for the fourth straight league game, Freja Werth scored 13 points at Santa Clara while leading the Dons with three three-pointers.
• Werth has come alive in recent contests, reaching double figures in six of the last seven games, averaging 13.6 points per game during that stretch. The junior guard from Aldrid, Sweden, ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.1 points per game while leading the team in three-pointers with 36.
• Debora dos Santos continues to dominate in multiple statistical categories this season, averaging a double-double with 14.0 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in 18 contests. Defensively, dos Santos has been a staple for the Dons, leading the team in steals (26), and blocks (18).
• San Francisco has performed well at the start of league play, as the team is tied for third place in the league standings. In five WCC contests, the Dons rank fourth in the conference in scoring offense (69.2 points per game) and scoring defense (61.8 points per game), third in rebounds per game (37.8), and turnover margin (1.6).

SCOUTING THE LIONS:

• Loyola Marymount enters Thursday's matchup with San Francisco in sixth place in the WCC standings with a 3-3 record.
• Last week, the Lions split two league games, falling at home to Gonzaga before earning a seven-point 67-60 win over San Diego at Gersten Pavilion.
• Alexis Mark leads the Lions offensively this season as the team's only double-digit scorer. In 18 games, Mark is averaging 12.7 points per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor. The senior guard from Chatsworth, Calif., has scored in double figures in five of the Lions' last six games, including scoring a game-high 20 points in the win over San Diego last Saturday.
• Amaya Oliver, Nicole Rodriguez, and Da'Ja Hamilton have propelled the team offensively this season, averaging 9.4, 8.9, and 8.5 points per game, respectively.
• Oliver leads Loyola Marymount defensively, leading the Lions in defensive rebounds (82) and blocks (22).
• As a team, the Lions rank second in the WCC in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to just 27.7 percent from distance. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• Gonzaga enters the week as the WCC's top team with an 18-2 overall record while going a perfect 5-0 in league play to date. The Bulldogs, nationally ranked for the eighth consecutive week, are currently 17th in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 Women's Basketball Poll.
• The Bulldogs are set to square off at Santa Clara on Thursday, Jan. 25, before traveling north to take on the Dons on the Hilltop on Saturday, Jan. 27.
• The Zags are led by five double-digit scorers, with Yvonne Ejim leading the team, averaging 20.6 points per game. Ejim, a three-time WCC Player of the Week, has surpassed the 20-point threshold in 12 of the team's 20 games, including recording a season-high 27 in wins over Stanford and Arizona.
• Kayleigh Truong, the reigning WCC Player of the Year, ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game.
• Defensively, Ejim and Truong lead the squad, with Ejim leading the team in total rebounds (154) and blocks (23), while Truong ranks first on the team in steals (24). 

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco has faced off against Loyola Marymount 89 times in program history, with the Dons holding a 49-40 record over the Lions. The Dons defeated the Lions in a dominating fashion in the first meeting this season, earning a 63-38, on Thursday, Jan. 4, at Gersten Pavilion.
• Gonzaga holds a 53-26 record over San Francisco since the first-ever meeting in the 1987-88 season. The Dons last defeated the Bulldogs on March 3, 2017, earning a 77-72 win at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

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 - Provident Credit Union - 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.