LAS VEGAS – For the first time since March 2015, both the University of San Francisco men's and women's basketball teams have advanced past their opening round matchups in the West Coast Conference Basketball Championships.  It is the first time since March 1997 that both teams have advanced to the WCC semifinals, that year the women won the tournament and the men finished second.  Both teams will face Gonzaga in the semifinals with the women playing at noon and the men tipping off at 6:00 p.m.   
 
For the sixth consecutive year, the women (16-14, 10-8 WCC) advanced, following an 89-76 win over the fourth seed LMU on Friday evening. The Dons were electric from beyond the arc, tying a WCC Tournament record with 14 made 3-point field goals. 
 
Senior Anna Seilund led with 28 points, her eighth 20-plus outing of the season. She set the tone early for the Dons scoring 18 of her 28 points before halftime. Shannon Powell added a career-high 24 points, 15 coming in the fourth quarter.
 
The Matchup vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
USF trails in the all-time series 26-41 and are 2-3 all-time against Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament, and 0-2 in Las Vegas. The Dons were swept by the Bulldogs this season, 0-2. This will be a rematch of last year's semifinals where Gonzaga trumped the Dons. 

 Coach Goodenbour on the Dons Quarterinals Win Over the LMU Lions
"I was really pleased with how we came out. I thought we got off to a really strong start in the first quarter. It propelled us to set the tone for what we wanted to do with our offense. We were really looking forward to this rematch. Seilund and Rakova were both looking forward to getting some redemption. This was a great team effort win for us."

Date/Time: Monday March 5, 2018 – 12:00 p.m.
Opponent: No. 1 Gonzaga
Site: Las Vegas (The Orleans Arena) 
TV:  BYUtv
Talent: Spencer Linton and Kristen Kozlowski
Radio Broadcast: Livestream.com
Talent: George Devine and Amy Touli
Live Stream: The W.Tv
Live Stats: TBA
Twitter: @usfdonswbb
 
Highlights from Friday's Win Over No. 4 LMU

?? and ?? from our last W#Advance #TournamentTime #USFDons #Changemakers pic.twitter.com/vVC2Xq3Qo6

— USF Women's Basketball (@USFDonsWBB) March 3, 2018

On Saturday evening, the men (18-14, 9-9 WCC) advanced for the first time since USF defeated Pacific 62-58 on Mar. 6, 2015.  The Dons needed extra time on Saturday night, taking down the Tigers 71-70 in overtime.  The Dons played stifling defense in the second half, holding Pacific to 28.7 percent from the field after halftime. 
 
The Dons also got a tremendous performance from guards Jordan Ratinho and Frankie Ferrari.  Ratinho tied his career-high scoring a game-high 20 points, going 5-for-10 from 3-point range.  No three bigger than the one that put the Dons out front in overtime in USF's first possession. Ferrari was fearless, scoring 13 of his 17 points after halftime, including the potential game winner before the end of regulation.

The Matchup vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
The Dons and Bulldogs have squared off 79 times with the Bulldogs owning a 57-22 advantage in the series that dates back to the 1961 season. The Bulldogs have won 13-straight against the Dons, and swept the regular season series, taking the finale 82-73 on Jan. 27 in Spokane.  In both regular season contests the Dons played the Bulldogs tough.    

Coach Smith on the Dons Win Over the Tigers
"That was a tough one, we expected that. Pacific has been gritty all year, we beat them twice which I thought was really fortunate. I thought we played really well, two of our best games of the year playing against those guys.  They jumped us pretty good in the first half tonight and we were scrappy enough to come back and find a way.  They kept coming back and battled with some really good efforts on their part.  I have a lot of respect for Coach Stoudamire and the job he's doing over there.  Great win for our program."
 
Date/Time: Monday March 5, 2018 – 6 p.m.
Opponent: No. 1 Gonzaga
Site: Las Vegas (The Orleans Arena) 
TV:  ESPN
Talent: Bob Wischusen and Dick Vitale
Radio Broadcast: TBD
Talent: Pat Olson and Jim Brovelli
Live Stream: The W.Tv
Live Stats: TBA
Notes:  No. 4 USF vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
Twitter: @usfdonsmbb
 
Highlights from Saturday's Win over No. 5 Pacific

???? | Win No. 1?8? ?#Advanced #TournamentTime #USFDons #Changemakers #WCChoops @WCChoops pic.twitter.com/JAxZ8IPdg2

— USF Basketball (@USFDonsMBB) March 4, 2018

 
To follow along with Monday's action be sure to download the new Dons mobile app!  The app can be downloaded at the Google Play store or the iTunes store.  Be sure to follow men's and women's basketball on twitter for in game updates.  

Dons Tailgate information:
We will be hosting tailgates two hours prior to women's and men's game outside adjacent to the Orleans Arena entrance. The WBB tailgate will start at 10:00 a.m. for the noon game and the MBB tailgate will start at 4:00 p.m. for the 6:00 p.m. game. 

Go Dons!