Jan. 15, 2002

LADY DONS FACE SAINT MARY'S BACK-TO-BACK: San Francisco squares off against Bay Area and West Coast Conference rival Saint Mary's College on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at War Memorial Gym and then travel to Moraga for a 3:00 PM matinee in Moraga at McKeon Pavilion on Sunday, Jan. 20. USF looks to bounce back from just their second 0-2 start to the WCC schedule in 10 years and now must face the 2001 WCC regular season and tournament champion Gaels this week. The Lady Dons were roughed up in Los Angeles in the opening week of conference play, dropping their fifth straight game at Gersten Pavilion last Friday against Loyola Marymount and then fell at Firestone Fieldhouse against Pepperdine. Saint Mary's, USF's travel partner, earned a weekend split after losing to the Waves and nipping the Lions. Last season the Lady Dons handed the Gaels their only home loss in a 59-53 thriller in Moraga, while Saint Mary's regrouped and seized a 68-55 win in San Francisco.

SAINT MARY'S Probable Starters - (1/14/02):

G. #21 Julie Morris, 6-0, Jr. (9.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 assists)

G. #5 Lindsay Lopez, 5-9, So. (4.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.9 assists)

C. #45 Jermisha Dosty, 6-3, Sr. (13.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.6 assists)

F. #54 Jerkisha Dosty, 6-2, Sr. (16.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.4 assists)

F. #30 Katie Davis, 6-0, Jr. (11.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.0 assists)

USF Probable Starters - 1/14/02:

G. #2 Toni Russell, 5-3, Fr. (5.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.9 assists)

G. #13 Alicia Hernandez, 5-7, Jr. (9.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.4 assists)

G. #4 Lisa Whiteside, 5-9, Jr. (8.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 assists)

C. #44 Celeste Farmer, 6-3, Fr. (6.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.5 assists)

F. #42 Carey Sauer, 6-0, So. (9.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.0 assists)

KEY RESERVES:

G. #22 Lindsey Huff, 5-6, Sr., (8.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 assists)

G. #31 Melanie Turner, 5-10, Sr. (6.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.3 assists)

GAME #15 & #16 - Saint Mary's Gaels:

SCOUTING SAINT MARY'S: Saint Mary's earned a split during the opening week of West Coast Conference play in the Los Angeles Area, losing the opener at Pepperdine (80-73), before bouncing back the following night with a win at Loyola Marymount (77-69). The Gaels struggled to find a rhythm during the non-conference schedule and have won back-to-back games just twice this season, entering WCC play with a 6-6 record. The 2001 WCC Champions appeared to find some answers in Southern California with the Dosty twins leading the way for the Gaels. Jermisha and Jerkisha Dosty anchor the best front line in the league and proved it once again last weekend against the Waves and Lions. Jermisha poured in 27 points to go along with 22 rebounds, while Jerkisha added 19 against the Waves. Each tallied a double-double in a victory against the Lions as Jermisha scored 27 points to go along with 11 rebounds, while Jerkisha added 14 points and 11 boards for the Gaels. On the season Jerkisha leads the team in scoring (16.0) and rates second in rebounding (8.1), while Jermisha, the 2001 WCC Player of the Year, leads Saint Mary's and the WCC in rebounding (10.6) and rates second in scoring (13.8). Junior forward Katie Davis ranks third in scoring (11.6) and has connected on a team-best 24 3-pointers this year. Sophomore guard Corrie Mizusawa did not play last weekend in the league openers and is questionable for this week. Mizusawa's skills are formidable and the 2001 WCC Freshman of the Year leads the team and conference in assists (6.4), despite only seeing action in 12 contests this season. Michelle Jacoby is in her second season as the head coach for the Gaels and has posted a 33-13 record thus far. Jacoby led Saint Mary's to their second berth in the NCAA Tournament in program history and guided the Gaels past Texas in the first round of March Madness before falling to Tennessee in the second round. With the tournament win, Saint Mary's became the second team in league history to win a game in the NCAA Tournament (San Francisco, 1996).

SERIES RECORD: USF leads all-time series 19-17 vs. Saint Mary's College.

LAST MEETINGS: USF 59, at Saint Mary's 53 (1/31/01), Saint Mary's 68, at USF 55 (2/3/01)

SERIES NOTE: USF handed the Gaels their only home loss of the 2000-2001 season. The Lady Dons win snapped a six-game winning streak held by the Gaels dating back to the 1997-98 campaign.

WHITESIDE HAS BIG DAY AGAINST WAVES: Junior guard Lisa Whiteside had a career day against Pepperdine last Saturday in Malibu. Whiteside shattered her career-high in scoring with a 22 point, 10 rebound performance in USF's setback against the Waves. For Whiteside it was her first career double-double. After entering the game with a .569 free throw percentage, Whiteside converted on a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe in besting her previous career-high of 14 set in a loss against Portland (2/9/01).

SAUER SCORES 19 AGAINST LIONS: Sophomore forward Carey Sauer earned her second start of the year at Cal Poly and responded by pouring in 28 points to lead USF past the Mustangs last Wednesday at Mott Gym in San Luis Obispo. The 28 points tied a career-high reached as a freshman during the 1999-2000 season at Portland. Sauer also pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds against Cal Poly and added a pair of blocks and converted on a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. Sauer scored a team-high 19 points in USF's loss at Loyola Marymount in 23 minutes off the bench. On the season, Sauer ranks second on the team in scoring (9.6).

USF AMONG WCC LEADERS: San Francisco rates in the top-four among West Coast Conference team leaders in just two categories this season. USF rates third in the league in free throw percentage (.707) and is fourth in steals (9.9).

LADY DONS AMONG WCC LEADERS: USF has a couple of players ranking among West Coast Conference leaders so far this season. Freshman guard Toni Russell ranks second in steals (2.5), while fellow freshman forward Angela Gibson rates sixth in rebounds (6.6). Senior guard Lindsey Huff, USF's career 3-point field goal leader, ranks eighth in 3-pointers made per game (1.47).

STRUGGLING FROM THE FIELD: A year removed from converting on .435 of field goal attempts, USF currently ranks last in the West Coast Conference in field goal percentage, connecting on just .393 of their shots. Meanwhile, USF is allowing opponents to convert at a .415 clip from the floor, the highest percentage allowed in the WCC this season. The Lady Dons rate sixth in scoring (67.5) and eighth in scoring defense (69.1) on the year.

WEST COAST CONFERENCE HOME OPENER: USF hosts Bay Area and West Coast Conference rival Saint Mary's on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at War Memorial Gym. Last season, the Gaels captured the regular season WCC title and won the WCC Tournament, earning the automatic berth into the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Last season, USF was the only team to defeat the Gaels at McKeon Pavilion, seizing a 59-53 victory last Jan. 31. The Lady Dons return to the scene on Sunday, Jan. 20 for a 3:00 contest, televised live locally on KRON Channel 4. Dave Cox (play-by-play) and Mary Murphy (color) will call the action from McKeon Pavilion.

VERY STRANGE: USF shot .328 from the floor in both games during the opening weekend of West Coast Conference play. The Lady Dons converted on 21-of 64 against Loyola Marymount and 20-of-61 against Pepperdine.

HUFF MAKING A RUN AT 1,000: Fifth-year senior guard Lindsey Huff entered the 2001-2002 campaign with 801 career points. Following a season-high 16 points off the bench in a win at Cornell, Huff now has 932 in four seasons on the Hilltop and is just 68 points shy of becoming the 14th player to reach 1,000 points in the Green and Gold. Huff currently sits in 14th place on the all-time USF scoring list and needs 71 points to pass Kim Bachman (1978-83), who scored 1,002 points in her career. The last Lady Don to surpass the grand milestone was Sarah Wanless in the 2000 season, finishing with 1,086.

WHITESIDE DRIVES, BOARDS, STEALS & DISHES: Junior guard Lisa Whiteside has emerged for USF offensively and defensively in her third season on the Hilltop. Whiteside entered the season with a 2.8 career scoring average, but has turned that on its ear in the early going, scoring in double-figures six times this year, two of them USF victories. Whiteside had a career day in a loss at Pepperdine with a career-high 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Whiteside turned in a solid outing against Utah, scoring eight points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and four steals in 31 minutes. On the season, Whiteside rates third on the team in scoring (8.7) and assists (2.3).

MORE TURNOVERS THAN A BAKERY: USF's high-pressure defense has forced 344 turnovers through 15 games this season, for an average of 22.9 miscues per game. In back-to-back victories against Washington and Cal, the Lady Dons forced 27 against the Huskies and 30 against the Golden Bears. Washington's previous season-worst was 19. San Francisco forced a season-high 31 turnovers against UC Irvine in the season opener. In the opening weekend of West Coast Conference play, the Lady Dons forced 43 turnovers, including 22 at Loyola Marymount and committed 46 miscues with 23 in each loss. USF averages 20.4 gaffes per game.

LADY DONS FINISH STRONG IN NON-CONFERENCE: With an 8-5 non-conference mark this season, USF posted their best preseason record since 1996-97. The Lady Dons were 11-2 prior to league play en route to their third straight NCAA trip. San Francisco posted a 3-1 mark against the so-called power conferences in women's basketball. USF went 2-1 against Pac-10 foes with quality wins against Washington and California, with their only loss coming at the hands of the then #7 Stanford at Maples Pavilion. The Lady Dons also defeated Syracuse of the Big East in a convincing road victory.

HUFF CAREER ALL-TIME 3-POINT LEADER: Senior guard Lindsey Huff entered the 2001-2002 season ranked fourth in USF career 3-point field goal percentage at .383 (102-266) and after connecting on three 3-pointers at Cornell is the leading long range shooter in program history and currently stands at 123. Huff, surpassed Amy Touli (1989-93), who poured in 122, as USF's career long range marksman. Huff, the 1997-98 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, also ranks fourth in WCC history in career 3-point accuracy. Huff is also moving up the top-10 career assist list and is currently in fourth place with 368. Former USF assistant coach Tami Adkins (1989-93) dished out 501 during her career on the Hilltop to rank third. Huff completed her B.A. in Communications in the Spring of 2001 and is currently pursuing her Master's in Sports and Fitness Management. So far this season, Huff shares third place on the team in scoring (8.7) and has converted on .400 (22-55) from downtown this season.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR FARMER: Freshman center Celeste Farmer turned in an outstanding performance against Nevada-Reno in her second collegiate contest. Farmer poured in a team-high 17 points on 8-of-14 from the floor and added three rebounds and a block before fouling out after 29 minutes against the Wolf Pack. In a win against Fresno State, Farmer was two points shy of her first career double-double, finishing with eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds. In a setback to UNLV, Farmer recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. After scoring six points at Pepperdine, Farmer rates fifth on the team in scoring (6.1) and is third in rebounding (4.3). So far, Farmer has led the Lady Dons in scoring once and rebounding three times.

USF AGAINST THE 2001 NCAA FIELD: USF has proven they are capable of competing with the nation's elite teams. So far this season the Lady Dons have dismantled two teams that made deep runs in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. San Francisco made their first statement when they shocked 2001 Elite-Eight participant Washington in a 72-68 win at War Memorial Gym, in their first of back-to-back wins against Pac-10 foes. USF also downed Utah, who made an appearance in the Sweet-16 last season in a 65-56 home victory. On the season, USF is 2-1 against 2001 NCAA Tournament teams with their only loss occurring at Maples Pavilion against #7 Stanford.

USF WINNING IN THE 60'S: USF's has scored in the 60's in all contests during the current three-game winning streak. Following a pair of losses in the opening weekend of West Coast Conference play, the Lady Dons are 5-5 on the season when scoring 69 points or less. San Francisco's 55-52 victory at Cal (12/5/01) was the lowest point total tallied in a win since scoring 54 in a 54-43 win at San Diego State (1998-99).

NO MARGIN FOR ERROR: So far this season, most of USF's wins have gone down to the wire. During the non-conference schedule the eight Lady Dons wins were won with an average victory margin of 8.2 points and only two (Cal State Northridge and Cornell) were decided by 10 points or more. Five USF wins this season were decided by five points or less (Washington, California, Fresno State, Cal Poly and Syracuse.

MARY JANE KRUEGER OUT FOR THE SEASON: Redshirt sophomore forward Mary Jane Krueger will miss the 2001-2002 season after tearing her right ACL during warmups prior to the first exhibition game on November 3. Krueger enjoyed an outstanding freshman season, averaging 8.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.

HERNANDEZ HEATING UP FOR USF: Junior guard Alicia Hernandez continues to make a strong impact for USF. After earning All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention selection last season, Hernandez is picking up where she left off this year. In the Lady Dons' upset win against Washington, Hernandez scored 12 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, including a crucial late 3-pointer to stop a Husky run. In USF's come-from-behind win against Cal, Hernandez scored a driving layup late in the game to give USF the lead in the closing seconds, coming up huge in the clutch for the Lady Dons in her second straight game. Hernandez poured in a team-high 17 points to go along with eight rebounds to lead the Lady Dons to their fourth straight win against Fresno State and followed it up with 15 points and nine rebounds against UNLV. After scoring 10 points at Loyola Marymount, Hernandez leads the team in scoring (9.9) and rates third in assists (2.4) and is second on the team in rebounds (4.5). The 2000 Junior College All-American has led the Lady Dons in scoring four times, rebounding twice and paced the team in assists five times.

RUSSELL = RELENTLESS DEFENSE: Freshman guard Toni Russell has made an impact for USF at both ends of the floor in the early going of her Division I career. Russell built a reputation as a defensive specialist during her prep career and is living up to it this season. Russell is a key reason why USF is forcing an average of 24.5 turnovers a game and played terrific defense in a pair of wins against Washington and Cal. Russell hit a pair of free throws to ice the game against the Golden Bears with two seconds remaining and helped doom the Huskies with clutch charity shots down the stretch. Russell sparked USF to a thrilling win against Utah, scoring seven points in the final two minutes, including a huge 3-pointer to give the Lady Dons the win. Russell finished with a career-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds, seven steals and four assists. On the year, Russell averages 5.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and leads USF in assists (2.9) and steals (2.5).

BERGER HAS BIG DAY AGAINST ORANGEWOMEN: Freshman forward Corry Berger had a big day against Syracuse, scoring 12 points to go along with five rebounds as USF downed the Orangewomen 61-56. Berger scored a career-high with 19 points and seven rebounds in a win against Cal State Northridge and has made a positive contribution to the Lady Dons in her first season on the Hilltop. On the season, Berger averages 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds, while averaging 18 minutes per contest.

DOT... DOT... DOT...: Through 15 games this season, USF opponents have committed 38 more turnovers... the Lady Dons won the battle of the boards for the only the fifth time this season at Pepperdine and are now 3-2 when holding an advantage on the glass... USF held a 45-41 edge in a loss to UNLV - their largest margin of the season... the Lady Dons have been out-rebounded 618-564 so far this season... USF's win against Fresno State was the first when shooting worse (.338 - .353) from the floor than their opponent... the 14 turnovers committed by Syracuse was the lowest total forced by the Lady Dons this season... USF has forced 20 or more turnovers 11 times this season and has committed 20 or more nine times.

HEAD COACH MARY HILE-NEPFEL: USF women's basketball legend Mary Hile-Nepfel enters her second season as sole head coach of the Lady Dons and her 15th season at the controls of the women's basketball fortunes on the Hilltop. Hile-Nepfel was named sole head coach of the University of San Francisco following the 1999-2000 season, taking charge of a program she directed to national prominence with her husband Bill Nepfel for 13 seasons. Last season was the 25th Anniversary of Lady Dons basketball and Hile-Nepfel also reached several impressive milestones of her own during the silver anniversary year. With a convincing 105-51 pasting of UC Riverside in the 2000-2001 season opener, Hile-Nepfel became the all-time winningest coach in program history with her 197th victory. When the Lady Dons downed Cal Poly, Hile-Nepfel became just the third coach in USF athletics history to surpass 200 career wins. An 88-60 West Coast Conference win against Gonzaga was the 100th league win for Hile-Nepfel, who became just the fourth coach in league history to eclipse the century mark.