Jan. 30, 2003

BACK ON THE ROAD... AGAIN: USF returns to the road for a pair of games this weekend beginning Friday at league-leading Pepperdine and Saturday at Loyola Marymount. The Lady Dons suffered a home sweep against San Diego and Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference action last weekend and look to snap a four game slide when they square off against the Waves. USF went 4-4 during their recently completed eight-game road trip - the longest in program history - and hope to repeat the success that has been so elusive at home. With back-to-back losses against the Toreros and Broncos, the Lady Dons plummeted to 2-7 at War Memorial Gym, but have a managed a 4-6 record on the road. The Saturday contest against the Lions signals the halfway point of the 2003 WCC schedule.

LADY DONS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Two Lady Dons rank in the top-15 among NCAA Division I statistical leaders, as released Jan. 20. Junior forward Carey Sauer, who finished the 2001-2002 season ranked third in free throw percentage at .918 (90-98), currently ranks 15th at .891 (57-64). Sophomore guard Toni Russell is tied for 13th in steals per game with 3.8 swipes per outing.

RECORD ROAD TRIP COMPLETED: With a loss at Portland last Saturday, USF completed the longest road trip in program history (eight games), posting a 4-4 record in a 31 day, two state and eight cities odyssey. After dropping the first two contests at Washington and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Lady Dons strung together a four-game winning streak, starting with an impressive overtime victory at Wisconsin followed by a Southern California sweep at Long Beach State and UC Irvine. USF then opened West Coast Conference play with a victory at Saint Mary's. San Francisco struggled in the Northwest and suffered losses at Gonzaga and Portland.

SCOUTING PEPPERDINE: The Waves enter the fourth week of the West Coast Conference sitting atop the league standings with an unblemished 5-0 record and have won 10 of their last 12 games. Pepperdine is fresh off a 51-46 overtime victory against Los Angeles area rival Loyola Marymount, their most serious challenge during the WCC season. Through five league games, the Waves are winning by an average of 15 points and average 71.4 points per game while holding opponents to 56.4. Pepperdine is without the services of junior guard Shandrika Lee, who tore her ACL five games into the 2002-2003 season and faced the Lions without two-time All-WCC First Team selection senior guard Damaris Hinojosa, out with an injured toe. Despite boasting the WCC's most potent offense at 72.4 points per contest (overall), Pepperdine does not have a single player in the top-10 in scoring, instead they have six players scoring six points or more with five averaging eight or more. Hinojosa averages 10.5 points, while senior forward Keani Christianson and senior guard Tamara McDonald each average 9.1 per outing. Mark Trakh is in his 10th season at the helm in Malibu and has posted an impressive 173-107 overall record.

SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 22-21/PEPP three wins

LAST MEETINGS: at PEPP 81, USF 69 (1/12/02); PEPP 73, at USF 57 (2/8/02); PEPP 82, USF 77 (3/1/02) - WCC Tournament

TEAM COMPARISONS (AS OF 1/27/03):
Team	PPG	Margin	FG%	3-FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	TOPG	SPG	BPG
USF	57.8	-4.3	.376	.329	.730	34.2	11.5	17.2	9.3	2.3
Pepp.	72.4	+7.0	.426	.367	.677	38.3	12.0	18.9	10.4	4.2

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LADY DONS: USF met Pepperdine in the 2002 WCC Tournament quarterfinals and led the top-seeded Waves 39-35 at the half. Pepperdine went nuts in the second half, converting on .576 (19-33) from the floor after the intermission, outscoring the Lady Dons 47-38. Sophomore forward Carey Sauer scored a team-highs 17 points, while junior guard Alicia Hernandez added 16 points and seven rebounds.

SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: The Lions enter the weekend with a 10-8 overall record and a 2-3 mark in West Coast Conference play. Last weekend, LMU dropped an overtime loss at home against league and Los Angeles area rival Pepperdine (51-46). The Lions have dropped three straight conference games, falling at San Diego (65-61) and Santa Clara (76-60) in week two. Despite the struggles on road, LMU is 8-1 in Gersten Pavilion, with their only loss coming to the Waves. The injury bug has hit the Lions once again this season with senior forward Kate Murray out for the season with a torn ACL, after leading the team in scoring (15.6) through five games. Senior guard Claudine Auld has picked up the scoring slack, averaging a team-best 12.1 points to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Junior center Adrianne Slaughter continues her development and ranks second on the team in scoring at 9.1 and leads the squad and the WCC in rebounds (8.1) and blocks (2.7). The Lions average 59.1 points per contest and convert on .364 (391-1074) from the field. LMU does an impressive job on the boards pulling down 42.8 caroms per night. Head coach Julie Wilhoit is in her eighth season as head coach. The two-time WCC Coach of the Year, guided the Lions to their first ever postseason berth with a WNIT trip in 2001.

SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 24-13/USF won two

LAST MEETINGS: at LMU 76, USF 58 (1/1//02); at USF 71, LMU 62 (2/9/02); USF 65, LMU 63 (2/28/02) - WCC Tourn. First Round

PRIOR TO USF: vs. Saint Mary's (8-10, 1-4 WCC) Fri., Jan. 31.

TEAM COMPARISONS (AS OF 1/27/03):
Team	PPG	Margin	FG%	3-FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	TOPG	SPG	BPG
USF	57.8	-4.3	.376	.329	.730	34.2	11.5	17.2	9.3	2.3
LMU	59.1	+1.9	.364	.283	.636	42.8	12.6	17.8	8.2	6.1

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LADY DONS: Junior guard Alicia Hernandez scored 18, while senior guard Lindsey Huff added 16 to lead USF past LMU in the first round of the 2002 WCC Tournament.

CAREY SAUER BACK FOR THE LADY DONS: Junior forward Carey Sauer returns for USF after posting an outstanding sophomore campaign on the Hilltop. Sauer, a 2002 All-West Coast Conference First Team selection, averaged 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season. In addition, the Newport, WA native ranked third in the nation in free throw percentage at .918 (90-98) and set a USF single-season record in free throw percentage. Sauer provided most of the offense in the Lady Dons' opener at #18 Colorado State in the 2002 Preseason WNIT, pouring in a team-high 17 points on 6-of-12 from the floor. Sauer turned in a terrific performance against #6 Stanford, scoring 16 points, including 2-of-3 from long distance. In three games against the top-25, Sauer has been sweet, averaging 17.3 points on .474 (18-38) from the floor to go along with 5.0 rebounds. In USF's convincing win against Seton Hall, Sauer went 12-for-12 at the free throw line, finishing with a team-high 18 points to go along with eight boards and added a game-high 22 points against Syracuse. It was the third time in her career that Sauer went 12-of-12 from the charity stripe. Sauer exploded for 32 points at Portland to establish a new career-high and was the first Lady Don in nine years to score 30 or more in a contest. Sauer leads the team in scoring (16.3), free throw percentage .889 (64-72) and is the leading 3-point shooter, converting on .440 (33-75). Sauer ranked 15th among NCAA Division I leaders at the free throw line. So far this season, Sauer has led the Lady Dons in scoring in 11 games and has been the top rebounder in five contests. Sauer notched her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Santa Clara.

TONI RUSSELL - MASTER THIEF: Sophomore guard Toni Russell prepares for her second season of basketball on the Hilltop and looks to build off her 2002 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year campaign. Russell, a relentless defender and clutch shooter, led the WCC in steals last season (2.6) and led the team in assists (3.1). Russell scored 10 points to go along with four steals in the 2002-2003 season opener at #18 Colorado State in the 2002 Preseason WNIT. In a win against Nevada-Reno, Russell scored nine points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out five assists. Russell was equally impressive against #6 Stanford, scoring 13 points to go along with six assists, six steals, four rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Russell poured in a career-high 16 points in the loss against Montana. In a rout of Long Beach State, Russell recorded a career-high 10 steals in just 28 minutes of playing time. On the season, Russell leads the team in assists (3.8), steals (3.8) and ranks third in scoring (8.1). In addition, Russell leads the West Coast Conference and rates 13th among NCAA Division I leaders in steals. Already in just 19 contests, Russell owns seventh place in the USF single-season record books with 72. Mary Hile is the single-season leader with 135 in 1979-80. Russell turned in the fifth highest single-season total last season with 78 swipes.

MARY JANE KRUEGER A BOARD WARRIOR: Redshirt junior center Mary Jane Krueger makes a much-anticipated return to the lineup for the Lady Dons this season. Krueger missed the entire 2001-2002 season after tearing her right ACL November 3, 2001. In USF's win against Nevada-Reno in the 2002-2003 home opener, Krueger scored seven points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, 10 coming in the first half. Krueger followed it with a six point, 12 rebound effort against #6 Stanford. In USF's win against Seton Hall, Krueger posted her first double-double of the season with a 11 point, 12 rebound night and followed it with another with a 11 point, 13 rebound effort against Syracuse. It was the fourth straight game Krueger pulled down at least 10 boards. Krueger was one rebound shy of her third double-dip of the season against Montana finishing with 11 points and nine boards. Krueger chipped in her sixth double-digit rebound performance with 15 in a win at Long Beach State. On the season, Krueger leads USF in rebounds (8.5) and blocked shots (1.5) and is fifth in scoring (7.6).

JENSEN MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Sophomore forward Leeane Jensen is making a large contribution as the only healthy true post player on the roster. Jensen recovered from preseason ankle surgery and has played well for the Lady Dons in the last 10 games, making eight consecutive starts. Jensen scored a season-high 11 points at Portland, matching a career-high set last season in a win against Utah. Jensen pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds against Santa Clara On the season, Jensen averages 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

SAUER APPROACHING GRAND CLUB: Junior forward Carey Sauer has continued her assault on the USF career scoring charts and the next stop is 1,000 career points after surpassing 900 at Portland (1/18/03). Following a 10-point night against Santa Clara, Sauer has scored 957 points in two-plus seasons on the Hilltop and is the 15th player in program history to surpass 900 points and first since Lindsey Huff (1997-2002) achieved the plateau last season. Sauer ranks 15th on the USF career scoring charts and needs 46 points to pass Kim Bachman (1978-83) in 14th place. Bachman scored 1,002 points in her career on the Hilltop. Sauer has reached double-figures in scoring 48 times on the Hilltop in 77 career games. A 2002 All-West Coast Conference First Team selection, Sauer scored an amazing 2,100 points during her prep career in Washington.

JOY HOLLINGSWORTH TURNS IT ON: Freshman guard Joy Hollingsworth made a huge splash in her second start of the season against #6 Stanford. Hollingsworth poured in a game-high 18 points on 6-of-9 from the floor, including 5-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. The 2002 Washington State Player of the Year nearly sparked USF to a historic upset against the Cardinal, but gave the Lady Dons a big glimpse at the future. Hollingsworth scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds at Washington in front of about 100 friends and family members in Seattle. In USF's victory at UC Irvine, Hollingsworth scored 15 points and added five rebounds. Hollingsworth powered USF past Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference opener with a career-high 20 points to go along with eight rebounds. Hollingsworth turned in the first double-double of her career in a 13 point, 12 rebound effort at Gonzaga and equalled her career-high in rebounds at Portland with 12 more boards. On the season, Hollingsworth averages 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Hollingsworth has led USF in scoring in five games and was top rebounder in four contests.

USF ON THE RADIO AND THE NET: USF women's basketball begins its seventh season on the radio and in cyberspace for the 2002-2003 season. All 28 USF Lady Dons regular season games will be broadcast this year on both the air (KUSF, 90.3 FM) and the web, courtesy of YahooBroadcast. Women's hoops fans can access the internet broadcasts from their personal computers from the official website of the USF Athletic Department, www.usfdons.com. George Devine, the Dean of women's basketball broadcasters in the West Coast Conference returns for his seventh season of bringing all the exciting play-by-play from his position courtside.