Jan. 29, 2002

USF TRAVELS TO SAN DIEGO AND SANTA CLARA: San Francisco, fresh off a sweep against Gonzaga and Portland at War Memorial Gym last weekend, take to the road for West Coast Conference contests at San Diego on Thursday and Santa Clara on Saturday. The Lady Dons remained undefeated at home with a 73-58 victory against the Bulldogs and a 71-60 win against the Pilots to even their league record at 3-3. USF squares off against the Toreros first at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. USD is currently on a three-game losing streak, all coming on the road at Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount and league-leading Pepperdine. San Diego has posted an impressive 9-2 record at home and the Lady Dons have not beaten the Toreros in Southern California since the 1997-98 season. Following the trip south USF returns to the Bay Area for a meeting against longtime nemesis Santa Clara. USF is looking for their first win against the Broncos since the 1996-97 season when the Lady Dons last swept the season series. Senior guard Lindsey Huff is nearing 1,000 career points and needs 14 more to reach the milestone and would be the 14th Lady Don to reach it.

SAN DIEGO Probable Starters - (1/28/02):

G. #3 Kerri Nakamoto, 5-6, Jr. (14.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.1 assists)) G. #5 Melissa Glazebrook, 5-6, Sr. (4.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.4 assists) G. #34 Marta Menuez, 6-1, So. (12.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.6 assists) F. #24 Robyn Fortney, 5-9, Sr. (7.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 assists) F. #25 Cassidey Blaine, 5-11, Fr. (6.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 assists)

USF Probable Starters - 1/28/02:

G. #2 Toni Russell, 5-3, Fr. (6.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.2 assists)

G. #13 Alicia Hernandez, 5-7, Jr. (9.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.6 assists)

G. #4 Lisa Whiteside, 5-9, Jr. (8.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.3 assists)

C. #5 Leeane Jensen, 6-3, Fr. (3.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.4 assists)

F. #42 Carey Sauer, 6-0, So. (10.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.9 assists)

KEY RESERVES: G. #22 Lindsey Huff, 5-6, Sr., (9.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 assists)

G. #31 Melanie Turner, 5-10, Sr. (6.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.0 assists)

HUFF MAKING A RUN AT 1,000: Fifth-year senior guard Lindsey Huff entered the 2001-2002 campaign with 801 career points. After a season-high 18 points in USF's win against Portland, Huff now has 986 in four seasons on the Hilltop and is just 14 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 17 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 1999-2000 season, finishing with 1,086.

GAME #20 - San Diego Toreros:

SCOUTING SAN DIEGO: USD hosts San Francisco this Thursday following a tough three-game road trip. The Toreros lost at Santa Clara (70-62) three days after defeating the Broncos at the Jenny Craig Pavilion 79-69. San Diego did not fare well on their Los Angeles West Coast Conference trip falling at Loyola Marymount (73-65) and Pepperdine (85-75) to fall to 11-8, 2-4 WCC. The Toreros are tough at home again this season and have posted a 9-2 record with their only losses coming in overtime games against #5 Iowa State (69-67) and to Gonzaga (75-65) in the WCC season opener. After losing three out of their first four contests to open the season, the Toreros stormed back to win nine of 10 and finished the non-conference portion of the schedule at 9-4. San Diego's strength is their backcourt, highlighted by junior guard Keri Nakamoto, who leads USD in scoring (14.2) and converts on an amazing .538 (50-93) of her 3-point attempts. An excellent distributor, Nakamoto also rates second on the team in assists (4.1), trailing senior guard Melissa Glazebrook (4.4). Junior center Erin Malich is having a breakthrough season for San Diego and leads the team in rebounding (5.3), while ranking second in scoring (13.3). The Toreros are coached by the Dean of the WCC, Kathy Marpe in her 22nd season at Alcala Park. Marpe has led her team to a pair of berths in the NCAA Tournament, the last coming in 2000.

SERIES RECORD: Series tied 16-16.

LAST MEETINGS: at USF 72, USD 54 (1/19/01), at USD 57, USF 54 (2/17/01).

SAUER CRANKING UP THE OFFENSE: Sophomore forward Carey Sauer has returned to the form which earned her All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention selection 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. In the Lady Dons' victory against Saint Mary's, Sauer was terrific, scoring a game-high 19 points in the starting assignment. Sauer scored 18 and 14 points respectively in USF's back-to-back victories against Gonzaga and Portland and leads the team in scoring (10.6) and is converting on .545 (18-33) of her long distance attempts and is .429 (69-161) overall. Sauer elevated her game for league play and averages a team-best 14.2 points in WCC games to rank seventh among league leaders.

EXCELLING AT THE CHARITY STRIPE: USF has continued a three-year trend this season by shooting well at the free throw line. On the year, the Lady Dons have connected on .716 (244-341) of their attempts to rate third in overall contests this season. During legue play, San Francisco has been even more deadly, hitting at a sparkling .826 (95-115). Surprisingly, USF does not lead the league in free throw percentage during WCC action. Gonzaga currently leads with an amazing .840 (89-106) perccentage at the charity stripe. Sophomore Carey Sauer leads the WCC in league games at a perfect 18-of-18. On the season, Sauer has converted on .918 (45-49) at the stripe.

SHOOTING BETTER: After struggling mightily from the floor, USF shot well in consecutive games against Gonzaga and Portland. The Lady Dons raised their percentage from .398 (415-1043) to .405 (467-1152) in the span of just two games.

MORE TURNOVERS THAN A BAKERY: USF's high-pressure defense has forced 416 turnovers through 19 games this season, for an average of 21.9 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. In the Lady Dons' home win against Gonzaga, USF forced 24 turnovers, marking the 13th time San Francisco has caused at least 20 miscues in a contest. In the re-match against the Gaels, the Lady Dons forced a season-low 11 turnovers. USF averages 20.2 gaffes per game.

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 seven 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. In USF's win against Gonzaga, Whiteside collected her second double dip to lead the team in the category with a 12 point, 11 rebound day versus the Bulldogs. 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 fourth on the team in scoring (8.6) and assists (2.3) and rates second in rebounds (4.5).

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 became the leading long range shooter in program history, surpassing Amy Touli (1989-93), who poured in 122. After connecting on 4-of-5 from long range against Portland, Huff now has tallied 131 3-pointers in her career. 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 378. 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 rates third on the team in scoring (9.7) and has converted on .426 (29-68) from downtown this season.

SCORING DURING LEAGUE PLAY: After entering league play with just one player scoring in double figures, USF is receiving solid offensive contributions from three players in the early going of West Coast Conference action. Sophomore forward Carey Sauer leads the team during league tilts (14.2) and ranks seventh among WCC leaders, while converting on .475 (29-61) from the field - including an impressive .643 (9-14) from beyond the 3-point arc. Junior forward Lisa Whiteside rates second (10.5) on the team in scoring in league contests, while senior guard Lindsey Huff ranks third (10.3).

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: When USF beat Saint Mary's 74-67, it marked the first time in nearly a month that the Lady Dons had scored 69 points in a victory. After 19 games, the Lady Dons are 5-5 on the season when scoring 69 points or less and are 4-2 when scoring 70 points or more. 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). The Lady Dons have been on an upswing lately and have scored 70 or more points in four consecutive contests, holding a 3-1 record in them.

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. USF's back-to-back West Coast Conference victories against Gonzaga and Portland marked the first time all season the Lady Dons have defeated opponents by more than 10 points in consecutive contests.

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 lay-up 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 six points in the loss at Saint Mary's, Hernandez ranks third on the team in scoring (9.4), second in assists (2.6) and is third on the team in rebounds (4.2). The 2000 Junior College All-American has led the Lady Dons in scoring four times, rebounding twice and paced the team in assists six 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 21.9 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's pressuring defense and a career-high 15 points sparked USF to a thrilling win against Saint Mary's, and a key steal and a pair of clutch free throws sealed the USF victory. The game marked the fourth time this season she has extended USF's lead at the charity stripe with the game on the line. Russell finished with a career-high 15 points to go along with five rebounds, seven steals and four assists. In USF's win against Portland, Russell scored nine points and pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. On the year, Russell averages 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and leads USF in assists (3.2) and steals (2.7). Her steals tally ranks second in the West Coast Conference.

JENSEN COMES THROUGH AGAINST GAELS: Freshman forward Leeane Jensen came through with another solid outing for USF in a big West Coast Conference win against Saint Mary's. Jensen scored eight points and added four rebounds to help the Lady Dons negate a huge Gaels's size advantage. Jensen scored a career-high 11 points to go along with six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. Jensen's previous career-high was seven points and five rebounds in the Lady Dons' upset win against Washington. Jensen averages 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game during West Coast Conference play this year.

DOT... DOT... DOT...: After struggling shooting the ball, USF broke through against Portland, converting on .520 (25-46) of their attempts, just the second time San Francisco has shot better than .500 for a game this season (Cal State Northridge)... the Lady Dons won the battle of the boards for the only the seventh time this season in a win against Portland and are now 5-2 when holding an advantage on the glass... USF held a 45-41 edge in a loss to UNLV - their largest margin of the season, but lost... the Lady Dons have been out-rebounded 774-706 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 11 turnovers committed by Saint Mary's in Moraga was the lowest total forced by the Lady Dons this season... USF has forced 20 or more turnovers 13 times this season and has committed 20 or more 11 times.

HEAD COACH MARY HILE-NEPFEL: USF women's basketball legend Mary Hile-Nepfel was named sole head coach of the University of San Francisco and takes charge of a program she directed to national prominence with her husband Bill Nepfel for 13 seasons. Hile-Nepfel, the first All-American in Lady Dons basketball history, is one of just six players to have a number retired in the rafters of War Memorial Gym. Hile-Nepfel collected her 200th against Cal Poly (12/21/00). In USF's 88-60 win against Gonzaga, Hile-Nepfel became the fourth coach in league history to reach 100 West Coast Conference wins, joining USD's Kathy Marpe, Portland's Jim Sollars and former Santa Clara head coach Caren Horstmeyer. Hile-Nepfel, the winningest coach in program history, has averaged 15 wins per season since her arrival on the Hilltop 14 years ago. During her tenure at USF, the Lady Dons have turned in three 20-plus victory seasons, six winning campaigns and have collected 10 or more wins during conference play on five occasions. USF has won or shared three WCC regular season titles and three WCC Tournament titles. Now in her 15th season she has compiled a 220-188 record.