Jan. 6, 2009

Complete Game Notes and Stats in PDF Format

THIS WEEK: San Francisco will open West Coast Conference play this week when it travels to San Diego and Bay Area rival Saint Mary's. The Dons will face the defending WCC Tournament Champion Toreros Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the Jenny Craig Pavilion before returning to the Bay to face the Gaels Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Moraga.

LAST TIME OUT: USF wrapped up the non-conference portion of the schedule Saturday, dropping a 82-60 decision to Wyoming in Laramie. Shay Rollins fell just a point short of her sixth 20+ points outing this season, finishing the afternoon with 19 points, while junior guard Danesha Wright finished the afternoon a game-high and career-best eight rebounds.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Dons will open the home portion of the 2009 WCC slate next weekend as it hosts Portland and WCC regular season champion Gonzaga at War Memorial Gym. The Pilots will travel to the Hilltop Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. before the Dons welcome the Zags Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m.

ROLLINS RANKS IN TOP-10 IN NCAA DIVISION I: Senior guard Shay Rollins currently ranks in the top-10 in Division I in 3-pointers per game with 3.1 The all-time USF 3-point record holder is shooting at a .305 clip from beyond the arc this season. Leading the nation with treys per game is Janae Stokes of South Florida with 3.5.

WRIGHT CONTINUES TO MAKE A STRONG IMPACT: Junior transfer Danesha Wright has made an immediate impact to the Dons this season. The guard has started all 14 games, averaging 10.0 points, going 40-for-114 (.360) from the field, including 21-for-58 (.362) from beyond the arc. Against UC Davis on November 25, Wright led all scorers with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. In the Dons most recent outing, Wright recorded a career-high eight rebounds while recording six points and three assists. Prior to joining San Francisco, Wright played at Ohlone College. At Ohlone, Wright was named the Coast Conference MVP in 2007-08 and was awarded First Team All-State accolades. Prior to playing collegiate basketball, Wright and fellow Don Nnenna Okereke were members of the Berkeley High School varsity basketball team.

USF RANKS NATIONALLY IN 3-POINT FIELD GOALS PER GAME: Heading into the week, USF ranked 21st in the NCAA Division I in 3-point field goals per game with 7.1. The Dons 7.1 treys per game currently leads the WCC, as San Francisco is shooting at a .334 clip from beyond the arc. Freshman Rheina Ale paces the Dons 3-point attack, shooting at a.430 clip (18-for-41) from deep, while senior Shay Rollins has sank 43 3-pointers. Earlier this season, USF posted a season-high clip of .650 at Cal Poly, where the Dons posted a school-record 13 threes.

OKEREKE DOUBLES CAREER-BEST: Against Iona on Dec. 31, junior forward Nnenna Okereke capped 2008 with a bang, pulling down 14 rebounds for USF. The junior, who has started three games this year, came off the bench against Iona to pull down her career-best boards total. Prior to the game, Okereke's personal best had been seven rebounds against Cal State Fullerton. In addition to her 14 rebounds, the native of Berkeley, Calif. also recorded two points, an assist, two steals and a big block.

KEATING MAKES NOISE OFF THE BENCH: Against Tennessee-Chattanooga on Dec. 19, forward Katy Keating posted a strong outing off the bench for the Dons. The native of Santa Monica, Calif. pulled down a career-high five rebounds, while posting 11 points in 24 minutes of action. Her efforts off the bench, coupled with a USF injury, earned Keating a starting spot against Stephen F. Austin on December 20. Saturday against Wyoming, the freshman saw 12 minutes of playing time, draining a pair of three's for six points. Keating has proven to be the Dons' leading threats off the bench this season, averaging 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds an outing.

DONS' GAME TO BE TELEVISED ON CSTV: On Thursday February 5, when the Dons host West Coast Conference and Bay Area rival Saint Mary's College, the game will be aired nationally on CSTV. The game marks the lone television appearance in the Bay Area for USF this season. The game is slated for 7 p.m. at War Memorial Gym.

SIMMONS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-WCC: Senior center Necolia Simmons has been selected as a preseason All-West Coast Conference selection by a vote of the league's head coaches. Simmons, the Dons' starting center, earned WCC Honorable Mention accolades last season after posting a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. She returns for her senior campaign as USF's second leading scorer from a year ago, when she averaged 11.0 points per game.

MENUEZ RETURNS TO SAN DIEGO: USF assistant coach Marta Menuez will be making a homecoming of sorts when the Dons face off with the Toreros on Thursday. After a four-year career at USF, Menuez left the program as the second leading scorer in USD history with 1,233 career points and 614 rebounds. In 2004, she earned All-WCC First Team accolades after averaging 15.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Menuez was also named San Diego's Senior Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2004.

ROLLINS CONTINUES TO PACE OFFENSE: Senior guard Shay Rollins entered the 2008-09 campaign as the Dons top scorer from a season ago. As a junior, Rollins averaged 12.7 points per game thanks to double-digit scoring in 21 contests. Last season, Rollins ranked second in the WCC in three pointers with 75, shooting at a .379 clip from beyond the arc, while also ranking 11th in assists with 86. The native of Alameda, Calif. is a two-time West Coast Conference honoree, being named to the All-Freshman Team in 2005-06 and earned honorable mention accolades as a sophomore. This season, Rollins continues to head up the offense, leading USF with 18.0 ppg, 34 assists (2.45 apg) and 29 steals (2.1 spg). To date, Rollins has scored in double figures is all 14 games this season and, dating back to a year ago, has scored 10 or more points in 20 consecutive contests.

DONS SET SINGLE GAME 3-POINT MARK: Against Cal Poly on December 7, San Francisco hit 13-of-20 3-pointers to shoot at a .650 clip. The 13 baskets from beyond the arc set a new program single game record. The previous mark was 12 three's, set twice, most recently on Mar. 1, 2008 against Pepperdine and prior to that on Dec. 1 against Massachusetts. Earlier this season, the Dons snuck up on the mark, but fell just short with 11 treys at UC Davis. Against the Mustangs, three Dons hit three's, while Shay Rollins paving the way with six. Freshman Rheina Ale added four, while Danesha Wright was a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point territory.

ROLLINS SETS USF 3-POINT RECORD: Thanks to four 3-pointers against Oregon State on Dec. 3, Shay Rollins has become the all-time USF 3-point record holder. Heading into the season, Rollins ranked second with 128 treys. With her 43 baskets from beyond the arc this season, Rollins surpassed Lindsey Huff (1997-2002) as the Dons all-time 3-point shooter. Huff finished her career with 146 treys, while Rollins currently stands at 171. For her career, in 100 games played, Rollins shoots .309 (171/554) from beyond the arc, averaging 1.7 3-pointers a game. This season, the senior is shooting .305 from 3-point territory, averaging 3.1 threes a game.

Rheina Ale TIES DONS RECORD: Freshman guard Rheina Ale scored a career-best 21 points on perfect 9-for-9 shooting against Northern Colorado on November 29. Ale's 9-for-9 shooting, 3-for-3 from the beyond the arc, ties a program-best single game shooting percentage record. The native of Carson, Calif. became just the second Don in San Francisco history to record a perfect 1.000 shooting percentage from the field. The lone other member of USF history to record a perfect game was Teri Hunt, who hit 11-for-11 against Loyola Marymount on Jan. 25, 1986. Hunt's record also stands as a West Coast Conference all-time best. In addition to her 21 points, Ale also added five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

ROLLINS REACHES 1,000: Against Cal Poly, senior guard Shay Rollins became the 18th member of USF history to record 1,000 ore more career points. With a 3-pointer at the 4:07 mark in the first half against the Mustangs, the Alameda native surpassed the benchmark. Currently, Rollins has amassed 1,115 career points, including 252 so far this season, to stand as the 14th most prolific scorer in USF history. With her 19 points at Wyoming, Rollins passed Lindsey Huff (1997-2002) who was listed 14th with 1,114 career points. Mary Hille (1977-81), a member of the USF Athletics Hall of Fame and a "Legend of the Hilltop", holds the Dons' record for career points with 2,324.

ODWALLA CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Two Dons made the All-Tournament team at this year's odwalla Classic. Senior guard Shay Rollins averaged 18.5 points in the Dons' two games. Against Northern Colorado, Rollins posted 18 points with a pair of steals, before recording 19 points against Washington State with four assists and six rebounds. Freshman guard Rheina Ale averaged 19.5 points in the two contests. Against the Bears, Ale tied a school record going 9-for-9 for a perfect 1.000 shooting percentage with 21 points. In the loss to the Cougars, Ale continued her strong scoring; posting 18 points with three boards and four assists.

DONS POST LARGEST WIN MARGIN SINCE 2005: Thanks to a 30-point (80-50) victory over Academy of Art on November 18, the Dons posted their largest win margin since the 2005-06 season, when San Francisco defeated Rider by 36 points (80-44, 11/25/05) as part of the odwalla Classic. A year ago, the largest victory margin for USF was a 23-point, 74-51, victory over San Jose State. The school record for victory margin is 76 points, thanks to a 98-22 victory over Stanislaus on Nov. 27, 1978.

USF BASKETBALL RETURNS TO KUSF: USF women's basketball returns to the airwaves and cyberspace for the 2008-09 season with a bulk of the games available on KUSF 90.3 in San Francisco and all games available on USFDons.com. Join George Devine for the play-by-play in his 13th year behind the mic for the Dons. Other features on USFDons.com include GameTracker, courtesy of CSTV.com with live play-by-play and streaming video of all home games courtesy of Yahoo Broadcast.

WAR MEMORIAL GYM TURNS 50: Home of the USF Dons since 1958, War Memorial Gym celebrates it 50th anniversary this year. The facility has hosted a wide variety of events from concerts to political debates, from basketball games to boxing matches. "The House that Russell Built" has enjoyed a rich history. The facility served as one of the home arenas when the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA moved to the Bay Area and most recently, served as a host venue for the 2008 International Children's Games.