Feb. 5, 2003

THIS PLACE LOOKS SORT OF FAMILIAR: San Francisco kicks off the second half of the 2003 West Coast Conference campaign when they host Saint Mary's Saturday at War Memorial Gym. The Lady Dons defeated the Gaels 58-56 in Moraga Jan.11 in the WCC opener for both teams. USF enters the contest on a roll having captured their first sweep at Pepperdine and at Loyola Marymount since the 1997 campaign to improve their road record to 6-6 on the season. The Gaels have struggled, going 1-6 so far during league play, but take on the Lady Dons where they seem to be most vulnerable: at War Memorial Gym. So far during the 2002-2003 season, USF has won just twice in the once friendly confines with their last home victory coming in a 62-44 pasting of Seton Hall Nov. 29. The game against the Bay Area rivals will be televised live on Fox Sports Net Bay Area at 8:00 PM. Mary Murphy and Glen Kuiper will call the action.

LEEANE JENSEN - WEST COAST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sophomore center Leeane Jensen was terrific for the Lady Dons, averaging 18.5 points on .625 (15-24) from the field to go along with 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. The Morro Bay native shattered her previous career-high (11 points) on consecutive nights with 16 points as USF won in Firestone Field House for the first time since 1997 and then poured in 21 points the next night to lead the Lady Dons to their first win in Gersten Pavilion since 1999. The player of the week nod was the first for Jensen and the first for a Lady Dons this season.

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.

PLAY THEM ALL ON THE ROAD: With a 71-61 victory at Pepperdine Jan. 31 and a 56-47 win at Loyola Marymount the next night, USF evened their 2002-2003 road record at 6-6, 3-2 during West Coast Conference action. Last season when the Lady Dons tallied a 18-12 overall record, they went 7-6 on the road, but posted a sparkling 10-5 mark at War Memorial Gym. USF is just 2-7 at home so far this season.

SCOUTING SAINT MARY'S: After posting a 7-6 record during the non-conference schedule, Saint Mary's has hit a wall during West Coast Conference action, posting a 1-6 record at the midway point of the league slate. The lone WCC win for the Gaels came in a 61-51 home victory against San Diego Jan. 25. SMC suffered a road sweep at Loyola Marymount (54-45) and at league-leading Pepperdine (78-57) last weekend. Sophomore center Triola Jackson has carried the Gaels this season and leads the West Coast Conference in scoring (17.0), rebounding (9.5) and rates second in field goal percentage, hitting at a .483 pace. Senior forward Julie Morris adds 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Katie Davis chips in with 7.7 points per game and 3.5 rebounds. Michelle Jacoby is in her third season at the controls for Saint Mary's and owns a sparkling 50-32 record with a 21-14 WCC record. Jacoby has guided the Gaels into the postseason in both of her seasons in Moraga.

SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 19-16/USF won one

LAST MEETINGS: USF 58, at SMC 56 (1/11/03)

TEAM COMPARISONS - ALL GAMES (AS OF 2/3/03):
Team	PPG	Margin	FG%	3-FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	TOPG	SPG	BPG
USF	58.3	-3.0	.379	.341	.745	34.1	11.8	16.9	9.0	2.2
SMC	62.3	-1.9	.385	.314	.660	38.5	12.6	18.3	7.9	3.4

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LADY DONS: Freshman guard Joy Hollingsworth exploded for a career-high 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead USF to a narrow 58-56 victory at McKeon Pavilion. The win marked the fourth straight on the road for the Lady Dons. USF won the battle of the boards 41-32 despite a size disadvantage at nearly every position. Junior forward Carey Sauer added 17 points, while sophomore guard Toni Russell added eight points for the Lady Dons.

PROBABLE SAINT MARY'S GAELS STARTERS (AS OF 2/3/03):
G. #10 Danielle Ferris, 5-8, Sr. (7.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.5 assists)
G. #22 Evynn Van Burger, 6-0, Fr. (3.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.9 assists)
C. #53 Triola Jackson, 6-2, So. (17.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 0.7 blocks)
F. #30 Katie Davis, 6-2, Jr. (7.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.8 assists)
F. #21 Julie Morris, 6-0, Sr. (12.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.5 assists)

USF LADY DONS PROBABLE STARTERS - (As Of 2/3/03):
G. #2 Toni Russell, 5-3, So. (8.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.1 assists, 3.6 steals)
G. #22 Joy Hollingsworth, 5-10, Fr. (9.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.0 steals)
G. #13 Merisa Leatherman, 5-10, Jr. (4.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.4 assists)
C. #5 Leeane Jensen, 6-3, So. (7.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.3 assists)
F. #42 Carey Sauer, 6-0, Jr. (15.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.0 assists)

MARY JANE KRUEGER MAY RETURN THIS WEEK: Junior forward Mary Jane Krueger is still recovering from a staph infection in her knee. Krueger began practicing this week and may return for action against Saint Mary's Saturday, Feb. 8. Krueger was leading the team in rebounds (8.5) and blocked shots (1.5) and added 7.6 points per game.

LISA WHITESIDE LOST FOR THE SEASON: USF's loss at Gonzaga was especially costly. Senior guard Lisa Whiteside ruptured her Achilles tendon ending her season and career on the Hilltop. Whiteside was on her way to another career year for the Lady Dons and averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds and led the team with a .485 field goal percentage. USF's lone senior and team captain scored a career-high 23 points in a loss against #19 BYU (12/5/02).

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 (15.8), free throw percentage .886 (70-79) and is the leading 3-point shooter, converting on .468 (37-79). 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 (4.1), steals (3.6) and ranks third in scoring (8.2). In addition, Russell leads the West Coast Conference and rates 13th among NCAA Division I leaders in steals. Already in just 21 contests, Russell owns a share of sixth place in the USF single-season record books with 76. 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 in a 11 point, 13 rebound effort against Syracuse. 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 after recovering from preseason ankle surgery. Jensen scored a season-high 11 points at Portland, matching a career-high set last season in a win against Utah. In USF's road sweep at Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, Jensen established career scoring highs in consecutive games with 16 points against the Waves and a new standard of 21 against the Lions. Jensen pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds against Santa Clara. Jensen averages 7.4 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 nine-point night at Loyola Marymount, Sauer has scored 979 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 just 24 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 49 times on the Hilltop in 79 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. Hollingsworth poured in 17 points in USF's win at Loyola Marymount and dished out a career-high six assists. On the season, Hollingsworth averages 9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Hollingsworth has led USF in scoring in five games and was top rebounder in four contests.

VERSATILE LEATHERMAN MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS: Junior guard Merisa Leatherman started in the backcourt for the Lady Dons in the opening round of the 2002 Preseason WNIT against #19 Colorado State. Leatherman, a junior college transfer from American River College, scored seven points and pulled down four rebounds in her Division I debut versus the Rams. Leatherman sparked USF in their win against Nevada-Reno in the 2002-2003 home opener with a team-high 16 points off the bench in 25 minutes of playing time. This year, Leatherman averages 4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

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.