SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Continuing a three-game homestand, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (6-2) is slated for another important test this week as the Dons will welcome Saint Louis (5-2) to the Hilltop on Thursday night.
 
GAME 9 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm
Opponent: Saint Louis (5-2)
Location: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center / San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+ (Chris Sylvester, Ben Braun)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson, Jim Brovelli)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• In their last time out, San Francisco handled business against Mercyhurst on Sunday, Dec. 1 as the Dons defeated the Lakers, 87-59. Despite trailing at halftime, the green and gold outscored Mercyhurst 55-23 in the second half as four Dons finished in double figures - Malik Thomas (29 points), Carlton Linguard Jr. (14 points), Tyrone Riley IV (13 points) and Junjie Wang (11 points).
• With the first NCAA NET rankings of the season coming out earlier this week, San Francisco currently sits at No. 51 heading into Thursday night. Overall, the Dons are 5-0 at home and 1-2 at neutral sites through eight games this year.
• As a unit, San Francisco continues to rank in the top 50 nationally in scoring defense (62.9, 27^th) and scoring margin (15.5, 46^th).
• Within the WCC, Thomas is currently tied for first in both total steals (19) and steals per game (2.4).
• Dating back to Dec. 2022, San Francisco has won 15 straight nonconference home games. Notably, the last nonconference loss on the Hilltop came at the hands of UT Arlington (68-63) on Dec. 19, 2022.

SCOUTING THE BILLIKENS:

• Last time out, Saint Louis took care of Jackson State at home, 74-66, on Monday, Dec. 2. Individually, Gibson Jimerson (21 points), Isaiah Swope (18 points) and Robbie Avila (15 points) all finished in double figures for the Billikens.
• Playing in their first true road game of the year, Saint Louis sports a 5-0 record at home like San Francisco as the Billikens are also winners of three-straight heading into Thursday.
• Dominating on the glass, Kalu Anya currently ranks fifth in Division I in rebounds per game (11.4) through games on Dec. 3.
• After being crowned regular season champion of the Missouri Valley Conference and leading Indiana State to an NIT Championship appearance last year, Josh Schertz made the move to Saint Louis this past offseason as the head coach is in his first season with the Billikens in 2024-25. Impressively, Schertz's .786 winning percentage is the seventh-highest mark among active coaches across all three NCAA divisions.
• After averaging 28.0 points per game against Quinnipiac and UMass Lowell last week, Swope was named Collegeinsider.com Lute Olson National Player of the Week. Overall, the guard is averaging 19.3 points through seven games this season.

SERIES HISTORY:
Thursday's meeting between San Francisco and Saint Louis will mark the sixth meeting all-time between the two programs. Saint Louis currently leads the series 3-2, but the home team has been victorious in each matchup previously. Notably, the last meeting between the two programs came in 1998.
 
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 US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Evergood Foods - for their continued support of San Francisco 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.