Jan. 31, 2008
Complete Pepperdine Game Notes in PDF Format
USF HITS THE ROAD TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: San Francisco concludes the first half of West Coast Conference play when it travels to Southern California for a pair of games at Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. The Dons kick off the trip Saturday night in Malibu with a 7:00 PM contest against the Waves at Firestone Fieldhouse, before wrapping up the road trip with a Monday night game against the Lions at Gersten Pavilion. San Francisco looks to snap a three-game losing streak and collect its second league road victory of the season. USF's next win will be a major career milestone for interim head coach Eddie Sutton. The coaching legend enters Saturday's showdown at Pepperdine looking to become just the fifth coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 800 all-time triumphs. San Francisco swept the Waves and Lions last season. Dior Lowhorn - WCC SCORING LEADER: After sitting out the entire 2006-07 season under NCAA transfer rules, sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn is making up for lost time. The Texas Tech transfer and Bay Area native averaged 7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a freshman for the Red Raiders. Lowhorn was named NorCal Player of the Year also captured "Bay Area Player of the Year" honors from the Oakland Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle following his senior campaign at Berkeley High School. Lowhorn scored 26 points at Oklahoma (11/8/07) in his Dons debut and then turned in his first USF double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds against East Central (11/9/07). Lowhorn poured in a career-high 30 points in his home debut against Sacramento State (11/17/07) en route to West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors. Lowhorn scored 29 points with seven rebounds at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07) in his third straight 20-plus point outing. Lowhorn has scored at least 20 points in 10 of 20 games and has registered 19 points six times. On the year, Lowhorn averages a team- and WCC-high 20.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Dior Lowhorn AMONG NATIONAL SCORING LEADERS: Sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn ranks No. 28 among NCAA Division I scoring leaders at 20.5 points per game, as of January 27, 2008. Lowhorn is the first Don to crack the top-30 on the NCAA scoring list since John Cox (1999-05) accomplished the feat as a senior. Manny Quezada LEADS DONS OFFENSE: Junior guard Manny Quezada looks to improve upon a solid sophomore season for the Green and Gold in 2007-08. The Dons leading returning scorer (13.2), Quezada was named as one of six West Coast Conference "Players to Watch" by the league's coaches. In his first season after transferring from Rutgers, Quezada ranked 11th among WCC scoring leaders to go along with 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Capable of instant offense, Quezada tossed in 28 second half points en route to a career-high 35 points, at Saint Mary's (2/19/07). Quezada scored a game-high 29 points against East Central (11/9/07) and scored nine points in less than 90 seconds to close out the first half against the Tigers. Quezada notched his second career 30-point game with a 30-point outburst at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). The New York native averages 15.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. DONS TWO-HEADED MONSTER: USF's one-two punch of sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn and junior guard Manny Quezada made their 2007-08 regular season debuts at Oklahoma in opening round action of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. The duo, combined for 39 of San Francisco's 55 points in a 71-55 loss against the Sooners, accounting for a remarkable .701 of the team's offensive output. The pair combined for 59 points at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). Through 20 games of the 2007-08 campaign, Lowhorn and Quezada account for 35.6 points per game - .544 of the Dons total offense. USF DONS ON GREEN 960 AM: USF men's basketball returns to the airwaves and cyberspace for the 2007-2008 season and all games will be available live at USFDons.com, while all games starting after 7:00 PM (PT) will air live on Green 960 AM. Join Pat Olson for the play-by-play in his 17th year behind the microphone courtside. USF Hall-of-Famer Jim Brovelli will join Olson on selected broadcasts. Other features available on USFDons.com include GameTracker, courtesy of CSTV.com with live play-by-play and streaming video of all non-televised home games courtesy of Yahoo Broadcast. A LOOK AHEAD: USF takes on Loyola Marymount Monday, February 4 at Gersten Pavilion. Tip-off against the Lions is set for 7:00 PM. GAME #21/WCC Game #6 - SCOUTING PEPPERDINE: The Waves enter the fourth week of West Coast Conference play with an 7-14 overall record and a 1-4 league slate after downing Loyola Marymount 87-64 Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse, snapping a four-game losing streak. Pepperdine owns a 3-3 home slate, highlighted by a 92-81 overtime win against Long Beach State (11/21/07). Freshman guard Tyrone Shelley leads the way for the Waves with 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds, while freshman forward Malcolm Thomas adds 13.7 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game. Through 21 games, Pepperdine averages a league-best 78.8 points per game on .433 from the field, including .309 (152-492) from 3-point range. Waves opponents tally 82.4 points per game on .480 from the floor, .413 from long distance. Eric Bridgeland is the interim head coach for Pepperdine after taking over when Vance Wahlberg resigned January 18. Bridgeland collected his first Division I victory against LMU and posted a 115-65 record at Division II Puget Sound (2002-06). TEAM COMPARISONS - 2007-2008 SEASON (As of 1/30/08): Team PPG Margin FG% 3-FG% FT% RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG USF 65.4 -6.7 .431 .318 .678 32.1 11.9 15.8 6.1 3.0 PEP 78.8 -3.7 .433 .309 .728 37.0 13.1 18.5 9.9 4.2 PEPPERDINE PROBABLE STARTERS (As of 1/30/08) 2007 MEETINGS: at USF 82, Pepperdine 70 (2/10/07); USF 72, at Pepperdine 71 (1/15/07) SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 66-41/USF won 4 ON THE AIR/ON THE WEB: WAVES AND DONS - THE SERIES: GAME #22/WCC Game #7 - SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: The Lions enter the fourth week of West Coast Conference play with an 4-17 overall record and a 1-4 league slate after dropping an 87-64 decision at Pepperdine Saturday in Firestone Fieldhouse. LMU owns a 1-7 home slate, dispatching Portland 73-68 for its lone home and league win of the season to date. Freshman forward Orlando Johnson leads the way for the Lions with 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, while sophomore guard Shawn Deadwiler adds 10.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Through 21 games, LMU averages 63.0 points per game on .403 from the field, including .328 (131-400) from 3-point range. Lions opponents tally 79.4 points per game on .493 from the floor, .381 from long distance. Former USF star Rodney Tention is in his third year as the LMU boss and owns a career and school record of 29-56. TEAM COMPARISONS - 2007-2008 SEASON (As of 1/30/08): Team PPG Margin FG% 3-FG% FT% RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG USF 65.4 -6.7 .431 .318 .678 32.1 11.9 15.8 6.1 3.0 LMU 63.0 -16.4 .403 .328 .631 31.9 13.5 19.4 6.1 2.4 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT PROBABLE STARTERS (As of 1/30/08) 2007 MEETINGS: at USF 76, LMU 69 (2/12/07); USF 68, at LMU 61, OT (1/13/07) SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 90-32/USF won 2 ON THE AIR/ON THE WEB: LIONS AND DONS - THE SERIES: Danny Cavic - WCC'S TOP LONG DISTANCE GUNNER: Senior guard Danny Cavic enters his final season in the Green and Gold focused on leading USF to the top of the West Coast Conference standings. Despite battling a chronic back injury, which hampered his mobility for most of the 2006-07 season, Cavic led the league in 3-point field goal percentage, converting on .462 (36-78) from long distance. Cavic is the first Don to lead the league in long distance connections since Tomas Thompson accomplished the feat in 1992. Cavic scored a career-high 19 points at Pepperdine (1/15/07), converting on 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Cavic enjoyed a good night against East Central (11/9/07) in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, scoring 14 points with seven rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes. Cavic matched his season-high with 15 points at Weber State (12/28/07) with four 3-pointers. The long range shooter has converted on .442 (38-86) from 3-point range this season and has 110 career treys, good for seventh place on the Dons career list. A career .441 (110-249) shooter from beyond the arc, Cavic needs five more to move into sole possession of sixth place currently occupied by Gerald Zimmerman (1996-99) at 114. Cavic averages 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per games as a senior. WALKING IN MEMPHIS: Freshman guard Myron Strong continues to produce for the Dons. Strong turned in an outstanding prep career at Memphis' Hamilton High School and helped propel the Wildcats to a 39-0 record en route to the 2006 state title. Strong turned a huge performance in his War Memorial Gym debut against Sacramento State (11/17/07), scoring a career-high 21 points with four rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes off the bench. Strong scored 14 points with three assists at UC Santa Barbara (11/20/07) and followed it with 15-point, seven assist performance at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). In USF's 60-59 win at Portland (1/19/08), Strong scored 13 points with six rebounds and five assists. On the season, Strong averages 11.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, ranks second on the team in assists (3.3) and leads the Dons in steals (1.8). Hyman Taylor REBOUNDS: Sophomore center Hyman Taylor is beginning to assert himself on the low block for USF. The Florida native has made big strides in the paint for the Dons and over his last seven games averages 5.0 points with 7.8 rebounds per game. Taylor ripped down a career-high 12 boards at Utah Valley State (12/31/07) - the most by a Don this season - and pulled down 10 boards at Gonzaga (1/21/08). Taylor posted his first career double-double with a career-high 11 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots against Santa Clara (1/28/08). Christian Hernandez READY FOR AN ENCORE: Sophomore guard Christian Hernandez made some big contributions for USF last season and figures prominently in the back court mix once again in 2007-08. The former walk-on averaged 8.9 minutes in 29 games and scored a career-high five points at Saint Mary's (2/19/07). Hernandez established a career-high with nine points with a pair of assists in 23 minutes against Weber State (12/8/07). LOWHORN NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Francisco forward Dior Lowhorn was named West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Monday as announced by the conference office. Lowhorn scored a career-high 30 points and collected nine rebounds in the Dons' home-opening win over Sacramento State Saturday. Lowhorn shot .619 (13-21) from the field in his much-anticipated debut at War Memorial Gym. He also had two block and two assists in 36 minutes. A transfer from Texas Tech, Lowhorn was forced to sit out last season in accordance with NCAA regulations. He has averaged a conference high 25.0 points per game through the first three contests this year. Lowhorn also sits third in the WCC in rebounds per game with 9.3 and has a .525 shooting percentage, 13th best in the conference. POLAKOVIC TO MISS FIRST 24 GAMES OF SENIOR SEASON: USF senior forward Vince Polakovic will miss the first 24 games of the 2007-08 season the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff announced Wednesday. Polakovic's penalties were the result of his participation on a German professional team - in which several teammates, but not Polakovic, received stipends deemed by the NCAA to be above actual and necessary expenses - prior to his enrollment at Northern Iowa in 2004-05 and his subsequent transfer to the University of San Francisco. The Slovakia native must sit out the first 24 games of the 2007-08 season. Under the current ruling, Polakovic would be eligible to return to the Dons for their February 16 contest against Gonzaga. USF DONS COACHING STAFF SET TO DON SNEAKERS: USF coaches and support staff will wear non-dress shoes Saturday at Pepperdine as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers awareness weekend. Basketball coaches nationwide will be participating in the annual event. San Francisco opened the 2007-08 season competing in the 2007 2K Sports College Hoops Classic (Coaches vs. Cancer), benefiting cancer research. DONS ADD Robert McCullum TO THE COACHING STAFF: Former University of South Florida head coach Robert McCullum has been named to the coaching staff at the University of San Francisco as announced by interim head coach Eddie Sutton. A coaching veteran, McCullum spent four seasons as the Bulls boss after a successful three-year stint at Western Michigan. McCullum will be involved in all facets of the Dons program and is believed to be the only individual to coach at both USF's. Dior Lowhorn FIRST DON TO 30: Sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn became the first USF player to crack 30 points for the Green and Gold this season with a career-high 30 points on 13-of-21 from the field against Sacramento State (11/17/07). Lowhorn is the third Don to score at least 30 points in a game since the start of last season. Antonio Kellogg scored 37 against San Diego (1/6/06) and junior guard Manny Quezada poured in a career-high 34 at Saint Mary's (2/19/07). Manny Quezada SECOND DON TO 30: Junior guard Manny Quezada became the second USF player to crack 30 points for the Green and Gold this season with a 30 points on 10-of-20 from the field at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). Quezada is the fourth Don to score at least 30 points in a game since the start of last season and is the only player to accomplish the feat twice. Antonio Kellogg scored 37 against San Diego (1/6/06) and Quezada poured in a career-high 34 at Saint Mary's (2/19/07). Jay Watkins WITHDRAWS FROM USF: Sophomore forward Jay Watkins (Memphis, TN) has withdrawn from the University of San Francisco and is no longer a member of the USF men's basketball team. Watkins is not currently academically eligible. DONS NOTCH PROGRAM VICTORY NUMBER 1,185: San Francisco collected the 1,185th victory in program history in a 60-59 victory at Portland (1/19/08) at the Chiles Center. In the 94th season of basketball on the Hilltop, the Dons have their eyes set on 1,200 program victories.
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