Dons Host Seventh Ranked Gonzaga Thursday Night at 8:00, Tickets Going Fast

Feb. 9, 2004

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DONS HOST 7TH RANKED GONZAGA THURSDAY

PORTLAND SATURDAY AT MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM

*    Dons host Gonzaga, winners of twelve straight Thursday; Portland Saturday

*	USF has four home games, one road games remaining entering stretch drive

DONS LOSE FIRST HOME GAME TO ST. MARY'S AFTER 8 WINS

GONZAGA GAME ON ESPN2 THURSDAY AT 8:00 PM


THU., FEB. 12	GONZAGA (ESPN2)	        MEMORIAL GYM	8:00 PM
SAT., FEB. 14	PORTLAND		MEMORIAL GYM	7:00 PM
Sat., Feb. 21	at San Diego		San Diego, CA 	7:00 PM
THU., FEB. 26	PEPPERDINE		MEMORIAL GYM	7:00 PM
SAT., FEB. 28	LOYOLA MARYM.	        MEMORIAL GYM	7:00 PM
Mar. 5-8	WCC Tournament	        at Santa Clara	TBA

San Francisco, CA- The USF Dons (14-11, 4-5 WCC) have a big challenge Thursday night when they host seventh ranked Gonzaga Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. at War Memorial Gymnasium. The game will be televised on ESPN2 with Dave Pasch doing play-by-play and Bob Valvano doing the color.

USF has won eight of nine home games this year, but Gonzaga (19-2, 8-0), winners of twelve straight, are a perfect 6-0 in pure road games, including 5-0 in the West Coast Conference. The Bulldogs defeated USF 92-50 in Spokane on January 15th, a game in which Gonzaga made 9 of 11 treys in the first half to put the game out of reach. Gonzaga's only losses are on neutral floors to #2 Stanford (20-0) and #3 St. Joseph's (20-0), two undefeated squads.

USF then will host the Portland Pilots Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for a 77-63 loss that the Pilots (10-12, 4-5) gave them in the Rose City on January 17th. The Pilots have already won two conference road games (at LMU and at San Diego) so this game will not be easy.

The Dons, who had won four straight entering last week's action, was swept in a home and home with St. Mary's. The Gaels won big at home (75-51) in Moraga Thursday and squeaked out a 69-63 win at USF Saturday before 5,137.

DONS DROP INTO FIFTH PLACE TIE: USF, with the two losses, dropped into a two-way tie for fifth place at 4-5 in league. The Dons, lost their first three WCC games (all on the road) then swept San Diego and Santa Clara at home and LMU and Pepperdine in Los Angeles to move into a second place tie. Teams want to finish in the top four to avoid the first round WCC playoff game or in the top two slots to avoid the first two days of play.

SMC EARNS SWEEP: The Gaels took the lead midway through the second half and defeated USF 69-63 in the second of a home and home at USF before 5,137. Paul Maginey again did most of the damage with 25 points and Daniel Kickert added 17. SMC took the lead with just over seven minutes left, but the Dons hung in there, trailing by just one with 4:55 left. USF missed a free-throw to cut it to two points with :49 left and had to foul down the stretch. USFmade just 16 of 26 free-throws, including several front ends and that proved costly, as did the Gaels 41-33 rebounding edge. USF was paced by two players off the bench, Andre Hazel (15 points) and Dommanic Ingerson 13.

DONS LOSE IN MORAGA: The Gaels came out on fire in the start of both halves and defeated USF 75-51 at McKeon Pavilion. Paul Marigney scored 25 points and Jonathan Sanders added 19 to pace St. Mary's with Daniel Kickert adding 12. USF was paced by 15 points by Tyrone Riley.

SMC came out on fire hitting seven of their first nine shots, before the USF defense held the Gaels to 2-13 shooting over the last 8 minutes of the first half. The problem was that the Gaels were shooting and making free-throws over that period. SMC led 36-26 at the half after ending it on a 6-1 run (all free-throws). A 13-4 run by St. Mary's to start the second period put the game out of reach. SMC outrebounded USF by 43-23 and made 21-23 free-throws to 6-12 for USF, a 15-point advantage just from the line.

SCHEDULE FAVORS USF: USF is now if fifth place, but finally the Dons' scheduling nightmare is over! USF has played only nine of 25 games at Memorial Gymnasium so far this season and just three of their first nine WCC contests. The Dons now have four home games left (where they are 8-1) and one road game against 1-7 San Diego before the conference tournament.

He averaged team highs of 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while making 10-11 shots from the floor in wins at LMU and Pepperdine. He also starred defensively shutting down WCC leading Glen McGowan of Pepperdine to just five points.

HEAD COACH Philip Mathews a 1972 graduate of the University of California at Irvine is in his ninth season at USF (136-120) and 19th year of collegiate coaching after recording a 298-56 record in 10 seasons at Ventura JC. He led the Dons to the NCAA tournament in 1998. Phil has 61 career WCC wins, third among active coaches, trailing just Dick Davey (SCU) and Brad Holland (USD).

WHAT IS WITH THE FREE-THROWS?: Thursday's game at St. Mary's was another example of the Dons having to fight a huge discrepancy in free-throws awarded to the opponents. In nonconference play, USF made 207 of 318 free throws (19.9 att per game) to 232 of 348 (21.8 att. per game) made by the opponent, a difference of 1.85. In league play, USF opponents have made 149 of 193 (21.4 att), while USF has made 76 of 132 (14.7 att), a difference of 6.7. The fact that USF is hitting just 57.6% from the ft line in league play is enabling its opponents to outscore USF to 16.5 to 8.4 from the free-throw line in league contests.

USF's LA TRIP SUCCESSFUL: USF had struggled offensively on the road previous to traveling to Los Angeles Jan. 29-31. However, the Dons felt at home in L.A. USF, who had shot 40.1% on the road entering the week, shot 54.4% in the wins over LMU and Pepperdine. USF also scored 72.5 ppg. almost 15 points better than their previous road average of 57.7 points. They also held LMU and Pepperine to a 60.5 scoring average, 10 below the previous road average 70.6 of opponents. The LA schools shot 35.5% compared to 47.7% opponent shooting in the first 13 games away from Memorial Gymnasium.

JOVAN CAN: Is it a coincidence that USF has won four of six since Jovan Harris was reinserted in the starting lineup? Harris started 13 games this season, the first seven and the last six. In those games, Harris has the second highest scoring average on the team at 10.2 (Riley at 10.8) per contest and the team is 7-6. In the last six games, four of them USF wins, he is the second leading scorer USF in scoring at 10.8 per game. In league play Harris is USF's #3 scorer at 8.6 per game and he is hitting 43% floor and 38.5% from 3pt.

WE PLAY HARD: Coach Mathews has been pleased by the team's commitment to defense since dropping their first three road games. At that point, Mathews took away all the warm-ups and signs that say "We Play Hard!!" from the team and asked them to earn them back. USF has gone 4-2 since that time, but the gear has not returned yet.

DONS AT HOME VERSUS AWAY: The Dons schedule has not been kind to them early this season as it has seen them play just nine games at home and 16 contests away from home.

Here is the difference in the Dons play at home and away from Memorial Gym:

Games Home		USF		Games Away
8-1			Record			6-10
70.0			Points			59.1
59.3			Opp. Points		69.6
44.8% / 43.0%		FG%/Opponent		41.7% / 45.6%
33.3% / 30.5%		3pt Pct.		30.8% / 40.1%
34.7 / 32.1		Rebounds/Opp		33.2 / 32.4
+5.8			Turnover margin		-3.7

WCC HOME GAMES LEFT: Gonzaga 3 of 5, Santa Clara 1 of 5, St. Mary's 4 of 6, USF 4 of 5, Portland 2 of 5, Pepperdine 2 of 5, LMU 3 of 5, San Diego 2 of 6. WCC teams are 21-14 at home, with Gonzaga having five of the 14 road wins.

ABOUT GONZAGA: The number seven 'Zags are dominant! They are a perfect 8-0 in league play including 5-0 on the road. They outscore their league opponents 83.6 to 63.6. They lead the league in scoring (83.8) scoring margin (+16.9), field goal pct. (51.5%) 3pt pct. (40.9%), rebounding margin ( +8.0) free-throw pct. (75.8%), field goal defense (38.3%), assists (18.1), and assist to turnover ratio (1.31). Forward Ronny Turiaf (15.8) leads the team in scoring (#5 WCC), with Cory Violette (13.0) tenth. Violette also leads the WCC in field goal percentage (55.4%) followed by Turiaf (55.1%), with Violette also the #1 rebounder in the conference at 7.8. Blake Stepp who leads the WCC in assist average 7.43 and scored 23 points in 28 minutes in the first USF-Gonzaga game this year.

DEFENSE RULES FOR USF: With the loss of certainly one of the league brightest offensive stars in John Cox, USF has turned to defense for victories. USF is third in the conference in fewest points allowed 65.9 and is second in defensive rebounds at 32.3. USF also leads the WCC in steals (7.8 per game). In the Dons' 14 wins, opponents have averaged just 61.4 points per game to USF's 71.5 and shot just 40.5% from the floor. . COX OUT FOR SEASON: All-West Coast Conference guard John Cox, who sprained his left knee late in the Dons' season opening basketball game vs. Tennessee-Martin on November 17th will not be able to play this season, head coach Phil Mathews announced January 5th. Cox will apply for a second medical red shirt season after the Dons complete the 2003-04 campaign. The senior from Philadelphia was granted a red shirt season after he missed 2000-01 due to foot surgery. John was named first team all-WCC after last season, an honor that his father, "Chubby" Cox also achieved in 1977 and 1978. He was second in the league in scoring last year in WCC games with 18.9 per contest, trailing only Blake Stepp of Gonzaga. He also was in the top 10 in the league in field goal percentage (50.3%), free-throw percentage (83.3%) and three-point percentage (47.8%) in league play. "It is certainly a blow to the team when you lose a great player and team leader like John," said Dons' head coach Phil Mathews. "But injuries are a part of this game and hopefully he will be granted a sixth season and be a big part of the team next season." In mid-December, John Cox recently participated in USF's fall graduation ceremonies at St. Ignatius Church with his father in attendance.

BALANCED SCORING: The Dons expected John Cox to carry a lot of the scoring load this year. Without him, the Dons have been quite a balanced team. James Bayless and Tyrine Riley are the only players averaging in double figures. Following them there are five players averaging between 9.3 ppg. (Ingerson) and 5.3 points per contest.

OFFENSE STRUGGLING: With the loss of John Cox (the WCC's second leading scorer in league play last year), USF's offense has struggled, especially away from Memorial Gym where USF has played 16 of the 25 games so far this season. The Dons are averaging a WCC-low 63.0 points per game and have only scored 59.1 points per game in the 16 games played away from Memorial Gym. USF has failed to score 70 points in a game 15 times this year (but has held opponents under 70 15 times). The Dons are 4-11 when failing to score 70, and are a perfect 10-0 when scoring 70 or more.

LOOK FOR 70: When USF scores 70 points in a game this year they have a perfect 10-0 mark, when not 4-11.

USF ENTERED WCC PLAY WITH 10 WINS: USF entered WCC play with 10 wins, tied for the most in the WCC with league favorite Gonzaga. The ten wins (10-6) are the most for USF since the 1999-00 season when they entered league play 12-1. Here are the records for the Dons entering WCC play under Phil Mathews: 1996: 8-4; 1997: 5-7; 1998: 9-3; 1999: 8-7; 2000: 12-1; 2001: 7-8; 2002: 5-8; 2003: 5-8.

CLOSE WINS, BIG LOSSES: The Dons have been really good in the close games this season. USF has won three games (at Delaware, Pacific and UT San Antonio) with last second shots, and won another (Ohio) that was tied entering the final minute. Two other games were close (losses to Richmond and at Fresno State). USF has outscored its opponents 71.5-61.4 in its 14 wins, but been outscored 71.6-51.3 in its 11 losses.

TICK, TICK, TICK: USF has been very comfortable in the final minute of games. USF has won four games that entered the final minute tied. Andre Hazel hit game-winning shots at Delaware (buzzer,74-72), vs. Pacific (:04, 73-72) and his three-pointer vs. Ohio (1:00, 53-46) broke a tie. With Hazel having fouled out against UTSA it was Tyrone Riley's turn to win it (:0.4, 70-69) in Logan, Utah. NEW LEAGUE FORMAT: This season most West Coast Conference games will be played on a Thursday-Saturday format, replacing the old Friday-Saturday back-to-back games. JOVAN BACK AS A STARTER: Jovan Harris started against San Diego Jan. 22, his first start since injuring his ankle at St. Joseph's on Dec. 12. He responded with a USF career best 18 points on 7-11 floor (3-6 from three-point) and added 12 points in the win over Santa Clara. He was USF's top scorer with 13 points at LMU (1/29) in a 64-52 win. Harris, currently averaging 7.8 points per contest, is averaging 10.2 as a starter (13 starts). That number is reduced by the limited time he saw at St. Joe's (7 min.). Harris has scored in double figures in nine of the 13 games he has started (he failed to scored before the injury at St. Joe's). Someone had to step up when John Cox went down with his knee injury and Jovan was the person who had assumed his starting slot before the injury. He has responded with four double-figure games, including an impressive 11-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist, 2-steal performance against Ohio State. He led the Dons in scoring at 11.3 ppg. until leaving the St. Joseph's game scoreless, after an ankle injury.

INGERSON MAKES IMPACT: Dommanic Ingerson became eligible December 19 and played his first game for USF against UMBC. The former Oakland prep star played at Michigan before transferring back to the Bay Area last December. In his first game against UMBC he played 16 minutes, scored 10 points (3-4 from three-point), had five steals (three in successive trips) and four assists. Despite playing just 15 games (out of USF's 24 played) he is leading USF in three-pointers made (30) and attempted (94). He had an exceptional game against Pepperdine with 17 points off the bench on 7-11 shooting. He has scored in double figures 8 times this season, including the last three contests. He is USF's leading scorer per minute, with his prorated scoring average 19.2 over a 40 minute game.

BAYLESS IS MORE: James Bayless has been the Dons best shooter and scorer, nailing 52.8% of his shots from the floor and averaging 11.7 points per game. He has scored in double figures 15 times this year (leading team), with double doubles vs. Montana and Sacramento State. He is fourth on the team in WCC play with 8.3 per game, still hitting 50.0% from the floor. But his numbers have gone down from 13.7 ppg. and 53.9% shooting in preconference play. He has started just four of USF's nine league games. In the wins in Los Angeles, he scored 10 points at LMU and two at Pepperdine, coming off the bench in both contests. He scored 8 points vs. San Diego and 11 off the bench vs. Santa Clara in USF's last two home games.. Prior to a 12 point, 9 rebound performance at Santa Clara he had an impressive 22 point, 10 rebound performance vs. Sacramento State, a game in which he hit 9 of 13 shots from the floor. Bayless has fought off ankle sprains this season that has forced him to miss much practice time. Against Sonoma State, Bayless nailed his first seven shots finishing 8-for-10 on the night. Against UMBC he scored the first 10 points of the game and ended with a career best 23. He scored 13 points and added 8 rebounds in the Pacific win. His best game of the year was a 22 point and a career best 13 rebounds at Montana. He scored 13 points in the loss at Fresno State after playing just over two first half minutes due to foul trouble. Paced USF with nine points and nine rebounds at Gonzaga, but scored just nine points at Portland. Bayless is shooting 56.6% from the floor at home this year and averaging 13.0 points per contest.

RILEY IS FOR REAL: Tyrone Riley has been a very productive member of the team averaging 10.3 points per game and is second in the WCC in rebounding at 7.0 per contest. He had a strong game at St. Mary's last Thursday with a team-high 15 points, nailing 7-12 shots from the floor and scored 11 points in the rematch at Memorial Gym. He is USF's leading scorer in WCC play (#20 in league) at 11.4 points per game. He is tied for the most double-doubles in the league with five. Riley has led USF in rebounding 14 times this year. He had 11 points and 11 rebounds at LMU His previous game was a 15 point, 7 rebound performance vs. Santa Clara (7-13 floor) after a 15 point, 9 rebound performance vs. USD. Previous to that he had a 19-point, 6 rebound performance at Portland, in which he hit 7 of 13 from the floor. Riley has missed two games this year (Pacific/Sacramento State) due to a death in the family. The 2003 California JC Player of the Year enjoyed his first Division I game (vs. Ohio State) in the state. He scored a career high 19 points, pulled six rebounds and added 3 steals and was named winner of the Sam Skinner MVP Award of the Northwestern Mutual Shootout. Riley also won WCC Player of the Week. He also was the key cog in helping USF win at Delaware hitting consecutive three's to take a four point deficit to a two-point lead and then hit a three to put USF ahead after Delaware tied the score. All three three's came within the last three minutes of the game. He also pulled 10 rebounds in the contest. At St. Joe's he scored seven points and pulled seven rebounds and recorded 10 points and 10 assists at Montana. He is second to GU's Cory Violette in the WCC in rebounding with 7.1 per game and has five double-doubles this season. He was the key player in the win over UTSA. He hit a key three to put USF to within one, blocked a late shot and hit the game-winner with :0.4 left. He also led USF with 16 points.

A HALO ON HAZEL: Andre Hazel this year has been USF's Mr. Clutch. Three times this season he has given USF the lead in the final minutes with a clutch shot. His buzzer beater gave USF a 74-72 win at Delaware, his shot with :59 left gave USF the lead for good in the 53-46 win over Ohio, and his game winning three with five seconds left gave the Dons a 73-72 win over Pacific. In the win over Pacific he scored a career high 25 points (his previous USF high was 14 at Delaware). He has taken the starting point guard slot and has responded with an 7.5 scoring average and 4.6 assists per game. He ranks third in the WCC in assists (4.4) and is third in steals (1.8) Until the last contest, he was the only Don to start every game this year. Despite coming off the bench, he was USF's high scorer with 15 points. He actually scored 11 straight USF points in the contest to keep USF in the game in the last ten minutes. Recorded seven assists in USF win at Pepperdine. He recorded 16 assists in the wins over USD and SCU and had seven steals. Recorded 11 assists and 4 steals in win over San Diego at home. He scored 25 points (including the three-point game-winning shot) against Pacific and added 17 points in a low-scoring game at Fresno State.

BROUSSARD THE WARRIOR: Alvin Broussard has been a steady presence for USF in his senior year, averaging 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while hitting 51.4% from the floor, 55.1% in league play. He was the WCC Player of the Week after USF's wins at LMU and Pepperdine. At LMU, he scored 9 points (3-4 floor) added 4 rebounds and three steals in USF's 64-52 win. And at Pepperdine scored 19 points on 7-7 floor shooting, pulled 10 rebounds and had two blocks in the 81-69 win. He shut then WCC leading scorer Glen McGowan down to just five points. Alvin has hit 18 of his last 24 shots. He had an outstanding outing, a 13-point, 20-rebound performance against Sacramento State. Totaled 9 points at LMU on 3-4 shooting after scoring eight points in both wins last week hitting 8-15 floor. On January 17th, he came off the bench for second time this year to score eight points at Portland. He scored a career best 18 points and pulled 8 rebounds to lead USF past Ohio on Dec. 13th. Against Ohio State, despite a very bloody cut forehead in the first half, he still played like a warrior with 14 points, five rebounds and 4-5 from outside the arc. He was also a force on defense, keeping the bigger Buckeyes off the boards. In the games against Ohio and Ohio State he shot 11-19 floor and 4-6 from three-point. He has been a much better offensive player at home averaging 10.0 points per game and 7.3 rebounds, while away from Memorial he averages 5.8 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. At Montana he played just eight minutes after having a fever the previous night, playing just 8 minutes. He played effectively against Richmond with 10 points, 5 rebounds and two blocks and pulled a team high 8 rebounds vs. SMS. He tallied seven points and pulled six rebounds vs. Delaware and 14 points in win over Sonoma State. He scored eight points in 18 minutes vs. Utah State.

GUMBS "THE LEADER": After the Dons' two emotional home wins over USD and Santa Clara, both coach Mathews and his teammates credited the hustle and leadership of redshirt sophomore Jerome Gumbs as a key factor in the team's turnaround. He has been a great contributor to USF this year after missing last year with a back injury. He has started 12 games this year, with USF winning eight of his starts. The native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands has averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Gumbs scored a career best 20 points vs. Sonoma State. At Pepperdine last Saturday, Gumbs scored 19 points on 9-11 shooting. He has been a more effective player at home, averaging 6.8 points per game and hitting 51.1 % of his shots.

GAINING NEW GROUND: USF point guard Jason Gaines has started only ten games this season after starting all of last year. He has made the most of his minutes averaging 3.6 points and 2.0 assists. In a starting role he set a career high with 11 points vs. Ohio. Played a big part in the win over UTSA with a late three to give USF the lead and made a great pass to Tyrone Riley to set up the game-winner. He has been one of USF's best shooters, hitting 47.4% from three point range. Gaines led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio last season.