Feb. 14, 2002

USF COMPLETES HOME WCC SCHEDULE AGAINST SANTA CLARA AND SAN DIEGO: San Francisco closes out the home portion of the 2002 West Coast Conference season when they host Santa Clara and San Diego this weekend at War Memorial Gym. The Lady Dons have posted a 4-1 record on their home floor and look to continue their solid play against the Broncos and Toreros. USF suffered their first home loss of the league season against Pepperdine last Friday, but rebounded to beat Loyola Marymount for the first time in five attempts the following Saturday. Sophomore forward Carey Sauer continues to play well for the Lady Dons and scored 31 points and pulled down 15 rebounds against the Southern California schools and leads the team with a 14.4 scoring average in WCC contests. Santa Clara earned a split on the road last weekend with a 80-73 setback at Portland, but bounced back for a narrow 81-75 win against Gonzaga. The Broncos have owned the recent series history with USF and have won the last 10 games dating back to 1996-97 when San Francisco last swept the series. Santa Clara downed USF 65-64 at the Leavey Events Center on Feb. 2.

SANTA CLARA Probable Starters - (2/12/02):

G. #3 Becki Ashbaugh, 5-5, Sr. (10.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 6.5 assists) G. #11 Caroline Gruening, 5-7, Sr. (10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.6 assists) G. #52 Kendra Rhea, 6-0, Jr. (8.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.3 assists) F. #20 Tammy Annas, 5-11, Jr. (11.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 steals) F. #44 Julie Butler, 6-2, Jr. (11.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 steals)

USF Probable Starters - 2/12/02:

G. #2 Toni Russell, 5-3, Fr. (6.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.2 assists) G. #22 Lindsey Huff, 5-6, Sr., (10.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 assists) G. #4 Lisa Whiteside, 5-9, Jr. (8.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.5 assists) C. #5 Leeane Jensen, 6-3, Fr. (3.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.6 steals) F. #42 Carey Sauer, 6-0, So. (11.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.8 assists) KEY RESERVES:

G. #31 Melanie Turner, 5-10, Sr. (6.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.2 assists) G. #13 Alicia Hernandez, 5-7, Jr. (9.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 assists)

CAREY SAUER LEADS NATION AT FREE THROW LINE: 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 .720 (290-403) of their attempts to rate third in overall contests this season. During league play, San Francisco has been even more deadly, hitting at a sparkling .804 (119-148). Surprisingly, USF does not lead the league in free throw percentage during WCC action and rates second in WCC play. Gonzaga currently leads with an amazing .811 (120-148) percentage at the charity stripe. Sophomore Carey Sauer leads the WCC in league games at 44-46 (.957) and made 42 in a row. On the season, Sauer has converted on .922 (71-77) at the stripe to lead the nation in charity stripe accuracy. Before missing a pair of charity tosses against Loyola Marymount, Sauer's last misses at the stripe came against Long Beach State last Dec. 21 where she missed the second shot of a one-and-one.

GAME #24 - Santa Clara Broncos:

SCOUTING SANTA CLARA: Santa Clara enters Friday's game against USF with a 17-6 overall record and a 7-3 West Coast Conference mark good for second place in the league standings behind Pepperdine (8-2). The Broncos have proven extremely tough at home and own a perfect 10-0 record at the Leavey Center, but have gone just 2-3 on the road during league play this season. Last weekend Santa Clara earned a split on the road in the Pacific Northwest, falling at Portland (80-73) before rebounding to topple Gonzaga (81-75). The Broncos have won seven of their last 10 outings. As a team, Santa Clara shoots the ball extremely well, converting on .435 (617-1419) and hit at a .371 (152-410) clip from beyond the 3-point arc. SCU rebounds well and hold 3.1 rebound advantage over their opponents. The Broncos have four players averaging in double-figures, led by junior forwards Tammy Annas, who averages 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and Julie Butler at 11.3 points, and 5.9 rebounds per game. Senior guard Becki Ashbaugh runs the Bronco's high octane (75.9 ppg) offense and averages 10.9 points and a league leading 6.5 assists per game. Senior guard Caroline Gruening adds 10.6 points and 2.6 assists per game and converts on .443 (47-106) from 3-point land. Chris Denker is in his second season as the head coach at Santa Clara and owns a 36-14 record, including a 20-8 record in his first year at the helm where he guided the Broncos to the 2001 WNIT.

SERIES RECORD: Santa Clara leads 30-28.

LAST MEETINGS: at SCU 65, USF 64 (2/2/02).

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. 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 18 and 14 points respectively in USF's back-to-back victories against Gonzaga and Portland and followed it up with a team-high 17 points in USF's win at San Diego. Sauer was solid against Pepperdine and turned in her second double-double of the year with 18 points and 12 rebounds. On the season, Sauer leads the team in scoring (11.3) and is converting on .553 (21-38) of her long distance attempts and is .435 (84-193) overall. Sauer has elevated her game for league play and averages a team-best 14.4 points in WCC games. to rank eighth among league leaders.

GAME #25 - San Diego Toreros:

SCOUTING SAN DIEGO: San Diego comes to the Bay Area not playing their best basketball. The Toreros, winners of just two of their last 10 contests, earned a split on the road in the Pacific Northwest defeating Gonzaga (63-48), avenging a loss to the Bulldogs at home in the opening weekend of the West Coast Conference season. The win against the Zags also snapped a five-game losing streak, but USD fell at Portland (65-51). It has been a season of streaks, good and bad for San Diego. 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 (14.9) and converts on an amazing .486 (54-111) of her 3-point attempts. A good distributor, Nakamoto also rates second on the team in assists (3.7), trailing senior guard Melissa Glazebrook (4.3). Junior center Erin Malich is having a breakthrough season for San Diego and leads the team in scoring (14.9) rebounding (6.1). 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: USF leads 17-16.

LAST MEETING: USF 79, at USF 55 (1/31/02).

MORE TURNOVERS THAN A BAKERY: USF's high-pressure defense has forced 486 turnovers through 23 games this season, for an average of 21.1 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' road win at San Diego, USF forced 23 turnovers, marking the 14th time San Francisco has caused at least 20 miscues in a contest. In the USF's second meeting against the Gaels in Moraga, the Lady Dons forced a season-low 11 turnovers. USF averages 20.1 gaffes per game. The Lady Dons committed a season-low eight turnovers in a home victory against Loyola Marymount. Remarkably, San Francisco has coughed up the ball a season-high 29 times in two games this season and won both (Cal and Portland).

LADY DONS TOUGH AT HOME: USF is a dramatically better team at War Memorial Gym so far in the 2001-2002 season, where they have posted an 8-4 overall record with a 4-1 league mark. During West Coast Conference play, the Lady Dons shoot at a .425 clip from the field and limit opponents to a .373 percentage in the friendly confines. On the road it's a different story as USF shoots at a .399 average, while the home league foes convert on .406 of their attempts. Overall, San Francisco connects on .418 from the floor at home, while opponents convert on .389 of their shots. In all games away from the City, the Lady Dons have converted on .395 from the field, while the home team hits at a .403 pace.

HUFF 14th MEMBER OF GRAND LADY DONS CLUB: Fifth-year senior guard Lindsey Huff entered the 2001-2002 campaign with 801 career points. A baseline jumper in the second half at San Diego gave her 1,000 career points en route to 16 points against the Toreros. Huff was dominant early against USD and scored 10 straight points to open the game. Huff currently owns 13th place on the all-time USF scoring list after passing Kim Bachman (1978-83), who scored 1,002 points in her career. Huff has scored 1,022 points in her career with 405 points coming from beyond the 3-point arc. Next up on the scoring list is former teammate Sarah Wanless (1995-2000), who scored 1,086 career points during her tenure in the Green and Gold.

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. Whiteside scored 12 points in a home loss to Pepperdine and pulled down six rebounds for the Lady Dons. On the season, Whiteside rates fourth on the team in scoring (8.7) and assists (2.3) and rates second in rebounds (4.7).

LINDSEY HUFF 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 and 2-of-3 in a win at San Diego, Huff now has tallied 135 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 385. Former USF assistant coach Tami Adkins (1989-93) dished out 501 during her career 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. Huff rates second on the team in scoring (10.0) and has converted on .407 (33-81) from downtown.

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 (14.4) and ranks fifth among WCC leaders, while converting on .493 (44-93) from the field. Senior guard Lindsey Huff ranks second on the team in scoring in league contests (10.9), while junior forward Lisa Whiteside rates third in scoring (10.0) and leads the team in rebounds (5.6).

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 3-2 against 2001 NCAA Tournament teams with their only loss occurring at Maples Pavilion against #7 Stanford and at Saint Mary's. USF dispatched the Gaels at home.

USF WINNING IN THE 60'S: When USF beat Saint Mary's 74-67 on January 16, it marked the first time in nearly a month that the Lady Dons had scored 69 points in a victory. After 20 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 five consecutive contests, holding a 4-1 record in them, before falling at Santa Clara.

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 three straight West Coast Conference victories against Gonzaga, Portland and San Diego 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.

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 hit a pair of free throws to ice the game against Cal 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 6.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and leads USF in assists (3.2) and steals (2.7).

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 (9.0), 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.

FARMER RE-EMERGES AGAINST SAN DIEGO: 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. Following a 10 point, eight rebound effort at San Diego, Farmer averages 5.5 points per game and is fifth on the team in rebounding (3.8). So far, Farmer has led the Lady Dons in scoring once and rebounding four 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 222-190 record.

USF ON THE RADIO AND THE NET: USF women's basketball begins its sixth season on the radio and in cyberspace for the 2001-2002 season. All 27 USF Lady Dons regular season games will be broadcast this year on both the air (KUSF, 90.3 FM) and the web. 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 sixth season of bringing all the exciting play-by-play from his position courtside.