MALIBU/SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -  Fresh off back-to-back victories at home last week, the University of San Francisco men's basketball (18-6, 7-2 WCC) will head to Southern California to battle Pepperdine (9-15, 2-7 WCC) on Thursday night before returning to the Hilltop to host Santa Clara (15-9, 6-3 WCC) on Saturday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

GAME 25 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024
Time: 8:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: Pepperdine (9-15, 2-7 WCC)
Site: Firestone Fieldhouse
Location: Malibu, Calif.
Watch: ESPNU
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
GAME 26 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST
Opponent: Santa Clara (15-9, 6-3 WCC)
Site: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Following two wins at War Memorial against San Diego and Pacific, San Francisco has now logged three straight victories heading into this week. Marcus Williams put up back-to-back stellar performances last week with his second-career double-double (19 points, 10 assists) against the Toreros followed by a team-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting against the Tigers. Ryan Beasley scored in double figures in both contests last week, averaging 12.0 points and 4.0 assists on 54 percent shooting across the two wins.
• This Monday, Feb. 5, Jonathan Mogbo earned Player of the Week honors for the third time this campaign, posting an 18.0-point, 12.0-rebound average on 75.0 percent shooting over the two victories last week, as the junior continues to lead the WCC in points per game (17.8), rebounds per game (11.8), and field goal percentage (71.4) within conference action. The Missouri State transfer now leads Division I in field goal percentage, shooting at a 68.6 percent clip, while also being tied for the sixth-most double doubles in the nation with 13. Mogbo's three Player of the Week awards are the most earned in the conference this season, one away from tying last year's leader Brandin Podziemski, who earned four Player of the Week awards en route to being named last season's WCC Co-Player of the Year.
• Ndewedo Newbury has continued to shoot the ball at a high rate as he has tied together a career-high four straight double figure scoring performances . Overall, the forward is averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds on 53.3 percent shooting from the floor and 44.4 percent shooting from downtown across the last four games. Defensively, Newbury continues to lead the WCC in blocks per game within conference play at 1.9 blocks per contest.
• San Francisco is currently tied with Gonzaga for the second-best conference record in the WCC at 7-2 (.778 win percentage). At this rate, with seven games remaining in conference play, USF is on pace for its best conference record in 42 years, when the green and gold went 11-3 (.786) across WCAC action in the 1981-82 campaign.
• Within WCC action, the green and gold lead the conference in blocks per game (3.89), steals per game (8.67) and assists per game (17.78) along with being second in the league in points per game (82.6), field goal percentage (49.5), free throw percentage (76.8) and defensive rebounds per game (26.6).

SCOUTING THE WAVES:

• After a 2-2 start to conference play, Pepperdine has dropped five straight contests, including back-to-back narrow defeats in its last two contests against San Diego (69-67) and Portland (93-89).
• Despite the struggles, junior Michael Ajayi has been a light for the Waves as he currently leads the WCC in overall scoring (17.4 points per game) while also being second in the league in points per game (17.7) and rebounds per game (9.2) in conference action behind Mogbo.
• Houston Mallette has been one of the conference's best deep-range shooters this season, having made the second-most three-pointers in the WCC this season overall with 58 made threes on a 40.3 percent clip.
• Jevon Porter, brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., has come alive in conference action, as the forward is currently sixth in the WCC in points per game (16.2) and ninth in rebounds per game (6.2) across conference play.
• As a squad, the Waves have limited their giveaways in WCC action, averaging the third-fewest turnovers per game (8.9) and the third-highest turnover margin (2.22).

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS:

• Santa Clara heads into the sixth week of WCC play with the fourth-best conference record at 6-3, highlighted by an upset win over then-No. 21 Gonzaga on Jan. 11 at the Leavey Center. The Broncos have lost two straight contests, however, nearly coming back from a 22-point halftime deficit in an 92-87 defeat at Saint Mary's last Wednesday before suffering a 70-59 home loss to San Diego last Saturday.
• After losing their top three leading scorers from last season, Arizona transfer Adama-Alpha Bal has led the charge for the Broncos this year, averaging 15.2 points per game (sixth in WCC overall) across SCU's 24 games. In conference play, Bal is seventh in the WCC in points per game (15.9), seventh in free throw percentage (81.1) and ninth in assists per game (3.4).
• Returning from an injury that cut his 2022-23 campaign to just three games, graduate student Carlos Marshall Jr. has bounced back this season, starting in 23 games for Santa Clara and becoming the second-leading scorer for the Broncos, averaging 13.3 points per game on 49.8 percent shooting overall. Recently, Marshall, Jr. led SCU in scoring in the near come-from-behind loss at Saint Mary's, posting a game-high 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, with 10 of his points coming in the final eight minutes of the game.
• Across conference play, Santa Clara has been dominant on the glass, leading the WCC in rebounds per game (38.3), offensive rebounds per game (13.2) and rebounding margin (9.1). Additionally, the Broncos rank first in the conference in opponent three-point percentage (32.4), second in three-pointers made per game (8.8), third in scoring (76.8 points per game) and third in opponent field goal percentage (44.4) across WCC action.
• Along with Saint Mary's, the Broncos are one of only two teams in the West Coast Conference to have a Quad 1 win this season. Overall, SCU holds a 2-4 Quad 1 record so far, with their two wins coming over Washington State (Dec. 16, 69-61) and Gonzaga (Jan. 11, 77-76).

SERIES HISTORY:

• Thursday's matchup between the Dons and the Waves will mark the 141^st all-time meeting between the two programs with the green and gold holding an 86-54 all-time series lead. The two teams only met once last year, with San Francisco taking an 88-80 victory on the Hilltop on Feb. 11, 2023. USF has won the last three meetings against Pepperdine as the Waves will host the Dons in Malibu for the first time since Jan. 22, 2022, when the green and gold took home a 71-45 win.
• San Francisco and Santa Clara will face off for the 234^th time, with the Broncos leading the all-time series, 118-115. The Dons and Broncos will matchup for the first time since their double-overtime thriller in the WCC Tournament quarterfinals last year on Mar. 4, 2023, when Khalil Shabazz scored a career-high 38 points to lead the green and gold to a 93-87 victory to push USF the tournament semifinals. San Francisco is looking for its first regular season victory over Santa Clara since Feb. 12, 2022 after dropping both regular season contests against the Broncos last year.

TRACK THE ACTION:
Thursday's contest will air live at game time on ESPNU with Steve Quit and Ben Braun on the call from Malibu. Saturday's contest will air live at game time on ESPN+ with Chris Sylvester and Dior Lowhorn on the call from San Francisco. Both games will also air live on the KNBR 1050 at game time. Live streaming, radio, live statistics and ticket links 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 - San Francisco Toyota - 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.