Feb. 26, 2002

USF PLAYS LOYOLA MARYMOUNT IN OPENING ROUND OF 2002 WEST COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT THURSDAY: San Francisco prepares for the 2002 West Coast Conference Tournament fresh off the most successful regular season in five years. The Lady Dons have won eight of their last 10 games during league play and must be considered one of the hottest teams in the conference heading into the WCC postseason showcase beginning Thursday, Feb. 28 in San Diego at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. San Francisco secured a share of second place along with Bay Area rivals Saint Mary's and Santa Clara. The Gaels and Broncos owned the tie-breaker by virtue of regular season wins against league-leading Pepperdine, dropping the Lady Dons to the #4 seed in the tournament. USF enters the tournament fresh off a 17-10 regular season slate and a 9-5 ledger in during WCC play - both high water marks since posting a 25-6, 11-3 record in the 1996-97 campaign, when the Lady Dons captured their third straight WCC Tournament title and made their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Currently riding a season-long five-game winning streak, USF now turns their focus towards their first round game against #5 seed Loyola Marymount. The Lions and Lady Dons split the regular season series and each held serve at home, with LMU staking a 76-58 victory in the WCC season opener on Jan. 11 at Gersten Pavilion, while USF captured a 71-62 win at War Memorial Gym on Feb. 9. Last season, LMU downed USF 73-56 in the 2001 WCC Tournament semifinals, completing a three-game sweep against the Lady Dons. San Francisco owns a 2-1 overall record in games against the Lions in the league tournament and holds a 24-13 advantage in the all-time series.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT Probable Starters - (2/24/02):

G. #25 Bryn Britton, 5-11, Sr. (15.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.7 assists) G. #24 Rosa Bernasconi, 5-6, Sr. (5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 assists) G. #3 Raelen Self, 5-6, So. (3.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.1 assists) C. #23 Adrienne Slaughter, 6-2, So. (10.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.2 blocks) F. #22 Kate Murray, 6-0, Jr. (13.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.5 assists)

USF Probable Starters - 2/24/02:

G. #2 Toni Russell, 5-3, Fr. (5.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.0 assists)

G. #12 Vilma Tamuleviciute, 6-0, Jr. (3.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.3 assists)

G. #4 Lisa Whiteside, 5-9, Jr. (8.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.3 assists)

C. #5 Leeane Jensen, 6-3, Fr. (3.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.6 steals)

F. #42 Carey Sauer, 6-0, So. (11.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.8 assists)

KEY RESERVES:

G. #22 Lindsey Huff, 5-6, Sr., (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 assists) G. #31 Melanie Turner, 5-10, Sr. (6.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.1 assists) G. #13 Alicia Hernandez, 5-7, Jr. (9.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 assists)

LADY DONS NAMED TO THE ALL-WCC TEAM: Sophomore forward Carey Sauer and senior guard Lindsey Huff were named to the 2002 All-West Coast Conference Team, with Sauer earning a first team selection, while Huff won honorable mention. Toni Russell was tabbed by the league coaches as the 2002 WCC Freshman of the Year, becoming the fourth Lady Dons to win the honor. Huff won top frosh accolades as in 1997-98 and Sauer earned All-WCC Honorable Mention selection in 1999-2000.

GAME #28 - Loyola Marymount Lions:

SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: LMU travels to the 2002 West Coast Conference Tournament after suffering a pair of road losses to Santa Clara (65-63) and San Diego (62-60) in the final week of the WCC regular season. The road was not kind to the Lions, who posted a 5-9 overall mark and a 2-5 league record away from Gersten Pavilion. LMU faces San Francisco for the third time for the second consecutive season after dispatching USF in the tournament semifinals last season. The Lions advanced to their first ever appearance in the title game where they fell to Saint Mary's in the championship. Loyola then advanced to the first postseason appearance in program history when they were selected to compete in the 2001 WNIT. A pair of seniors run the Lions backcourt. Bryn Britton is the leading scorer for the Lions (14.6), while Rosa Bernasconi rates fifth (6.4), less than a year removed from season-ending ACL surgery last season. Sophomore center Adrienne Slaughter leads the team in rebounding (7.2) and ranks third in scoring (10.6), while junior forward Kate Murray is second on the team in scoring (13.7) and rebounds (6.1). The Lions are coached by two-time West Coast Conference Coach of the Year Julie Wilhoit, who is in her seventh season in Los Angeles. Last year, she guided the Lions to the best record in program history (21-10/10-4), including their inaugural berth in the post season with a trip to the 2001 WNIT Tournament. In her seven seasons at the helm for LMU, Wilhoit has posted a 75-118 mark. Last season, the Lions swept the season series with USF, winning 76-75 at Gersten and took a 74-71 victory at War Memorial Gym. In the 2001 WCC Tournament, LMU beat the Lady Dons for the third time, winning in the semifinals 73-56, handing USF their first tournament semifinals loss.

SERIES RECORD: USF leads 24-13 in the all-time series.

WCC TOURNAMENT SERIES: USF Leads 2-1 in WCC Tournament meetings.

2002 MEETINGS: at USF 71, LMU 62 (2/9/02), at LMU 76, USF 58 (1/11/02).

All-TIME WCC TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Loyola Marymount def. USF 73-56 (3/2/01) USF def. Loyola Marymount 65-35 (2/29/96) USF def. Loyola Marymount 58-36 (3/2/95)

Sauer Among NCAA Division I Leaders:

SAUER THIRD IN NATION AT FREE THROW LINE: Sophomore forward Carey Sauer continues to excel for USF at the free throw line and currently leads not only the team and the West Coast Conference at the charity stripe, but also leads the nation in free throw percentage, converting on . 912 (83-91) of her attempts. Sauer holds a .041 lead on Santa Clara's Becki Ashbaugh (88-101) and could be the second consecutive Lady Don to win the free throw title, following Kim Whisler, who connected on .841 (111-132) en route to a 2001 All-WCC First Team Selection. Sauer made 49 consecutive charity tosses from 1/2/02 through 2/9/02 and strung together 44 in a row to open up league play. During WCC play, Sauer is even more accurate hitting at a .933 (56-60) clip.

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. Sauer continued to play well against the Pilots, scoring 17 points to lead USF to a crucial road win at Portland. 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 (11.5) and is converting on .500 (23-46) of her long distance attempts and is .443 (102-230) overall. Sauer has elevated her game for league play and averages a team-best 13.9 points in WCC games to rank 11th among league leaders. In addition Sauer is one of the most accurate shooters during conference play and rates fifth among conference leaders, connecting at a .477 (62-130) pace.

LADY DONS SOLID AT THE 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 .734 (400-545) of their attempts to rate third in overall contests this season. During league play, San Francisco has been even more deadly, hitting at an impressive .790 (229-290). 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 .814 (184-226) percentage at the charity stripe.

GAME #27 - Gonzaga Recap:

HERNANDEZ SCORES 19 TO LEAD USF TO SEASON SWEEP OF BULLDOGS, 72-67: USF got a season-high 19 points from junior guard Alicia Hernandez and 15 points from senior guard Lindsey Huff and rolled to a 72-67 West Coast Conference victory against Gonzaga in the WCC regular season finale Saturday in The Kennel. With the win, the Lady Dons (17-10, 9-5 WCC) win their fifth straight game, spoiling the Bulldogs' (11-17, 2-12) senior night and kept the Zags winless at home during league action. With the victory, San Francisco also wins a share of second place in the WCC regular season standings, along with Santa Clara and Saint Mary's. San Francisco boosted themselves into second place with a solid effort against Gonzaga. USF erupted for 41 points in the first half, taking a 41-29 lead into intermission. The Bulldogs fought back and erased a 15-point USF lead in the early going of the second half. USF held on thanks to terrific shooting at the charity stripe by Huff, who went 6-of-6 at the stripe and scored her 15 points in just 11 minutes. Much like last season, Hernandez saved one of her finest performances of the season for last and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and collected a pair of steals to go along with her 19 points. Junior guard Vilma Tamuleviciute continued her solid play and scored nine points, going 2-of-3 from long distance and added a pair of assists. USF held a big shooting advantage, converting on .421 (24-57), including .438 (7-16) from 3-point range. Gonzaga was colder, converting on .349 (22-63) and struggled from downtown converting on just .150 (3-20). The shooting edge helped erase a tremendous rebounding deficit, where the Bulldogs held a 46-33 advantage.

MORE TURNOVERS THAN A BAKERY: USF's high-pressure defense has forced 551 turnovers through 27 games this season, for an average of 20.4 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. A win at Portland marked the seventh time this season the Lady Dons have won despite committing more turnovers than their opponents. 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 of them (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 10-4 overall record with a 5-1 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.

WCC TOURNAMENT BROADCASTS:Radio: KUSF (90.3 FM) and on the Internet (www.usfdons.com). George Devine calls the play-by-play from the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

GAME #26 - Portland Recap:

LADY DONS COMPLETE SEASON SWEEP OF PILOTS, 52-49 BEHIND SAUER'S 17: Fortunately basketball is not won on style points. San Francisco is relieved following its thrilling 52-49 victory against the Portland Thursday in West Coast Conference play in the Chiles Center. The Lady Dons (16-10, 8-5 WCC) win their fourth consecutive game and send the Pilots (12-14, 4-9 WCC) to just their third home loss of the season. Junior guard Lisa Whiteside hit a pair of decisive free throws with 12 seconds on the clock to seal the victory for USF. Whiteside scored five points - all in the second half and all were huge for San Francisco. As has become their pattern, the Lady Dons trailed heading to the locker room at half time for the fourth straight contest. Continuing the trend, USF emerged after the intermission playing inspired basketball in the early going of the second half. San Francisco took their first lead of the contest at with 15:15 in the second period on the first of three consecutive 3-pointers by junior guard Vilma Tamuleviciute who sparked USF to a 34-31 lead with 12:44 remaining. The Pilots kept it close and seized the lead 49-48, on a free throw from sophomore guard Da'Love Woods at the 1:15 mark. The stage was set for Whiteside's dramatic charity tosses and USF's stingy defense did the rest. San Francisco held a big advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the Pilots 37-28, which was enough to negate 24 USF turnovers. Portland committed 15 miscues. The Lady Dons shot the ball at a .417 (20-48) clip while the Pilots connected on .367 (18-49). San Francisco capitalized beyond the 3-point arc connecting on 6-17 (.353), while Portland hit just one of nine (.111) from long range. USF got a game-high 17 points from sophomore forward Carey Sauer, while Tamuleviciute added nine on back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers. Freshman center Corry Berger contributed an important nine points and added a game-high eight rebounds off the bench.

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 poured in a career-high 27 points in a win against Santa Clara on senior night at War Memorial Gym. Following a 15 point effort in a win against Gonzaga, 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 1,082 points in her career with 423 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 with a 12 point, 11 rebound day versus the Bulldogs. Whiteside scored 12 points in a home loss to Pepperdine and pulled down six rebounds for the Lady Dons. Last week, Whiteside helped USF complete the season sweep of the Pilots with a pair of decisive free throws in the final seconds. On the season, Whiteside rates fourth on the team in scoring (8.0) and assists (2.3) and rates second in rebounds (4.5). So far, Whiteside has led the Lady Dons in scoring once and rebounding three times.

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-7 from long range in a win against Santa Clara, Huff now has tallied 141 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 389. 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 (10.8) and has converted on .429 (39-93) from downtown. Huff has led the Lady Dons in scoring nine times this season and twice paced the team in rebounds.

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 (12.8), while junior forward Lisa Whiteside rates third in scoring (8.7) and leads the team in rebounds (5.0).

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. In the final week of WCC play, USF defeated Portland 52-49, winning with their second-lowest scoring output of the season.

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. Nine USF wins this season were decided by five points or less (Washington, California, Fresno State, Cal Poly, Syracuse, San Diego, at Portland and at Gonzaga. During WCC play, USF's wins were determined by a wider margin, with the Lady Dons averaging a 9.2 ppg cushion. USF recorded three double-digit victories in league action, with the final three games of the regular season decided by a combined eight points.

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 both Washington and Portland 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 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and leads USF in assists (3.0) and steals (2.4).

HERNANDEZ WARMING UP: Junior guard Alicia Hernandez continues to make contributions for USF and shows signs of heating up for the postseason tournament like she did last season, earning All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention. Hernandez scored a season-high 19 points to lead USF past Gonzaga in the WCC regular season finale and added seven rebounds against the Bulldogs. 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 12 points in a win against Santa Clara, Hernandez ranks third on the team in scoring (9.3), fourth in assists (2.6) and rebounds (4.2). The 2000 Junior College All-American has led the Lady Dons in scoring five times, rebounding three times and paced the team in assists seven 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 setback to UNLV, Farmer recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Following a nine-point effort in a win against San Diego, Farmer averages 5.3 points per game and is sixth on the team in rebounding (3.5). So far, Farmer has led the Lady Dons in scoring once and rebounding four times.

TURNER TURNS IT UP: Senior guard Melanie Turner has quietly contributed much to the success of USF this season, helping the Lady Dons to their best record since the 1996-97 season. Turner has scored in double-digits seven times this season and scored a season-high 14 points in a home loss to Pepperdine. In USF's memorable win against Santa Clara, Turner was terrific, scoring eight big points and dished out a pair of assists as the Lady Dons defeated the Broncos for the first time in five years. A deadly 3-point shooter, Turner rates fourth in career threes with 91, 24 coming this season. On the year, Turner averages 6.3 points 1.7 rebounds and converts on .348 (24-69) from long distance. Turner has led the Lady Dons in assists three times this season.

BERGER MAKING AN IMPACT IN THE PAINT: Freshman forward Corry Berger turned in a couple of solid performances for San Francisco in the final week of West Coast Conference play as the Lady Dons swept Portland and Gonzaga on the road. Berger scored nine points and a team-high nine rebounds against the Pilots and scored five points and added a pair of rebounds against the Bulldogs. Berger enjoyed 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 added seven rebounds in a win against Cal State Northridge. On the season, Berger averages 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds, while averaging 16 minutes per contest.

PAINTING BY NUMBERS: USF may have the youngest front line in the nation, but they are holding up well in the early going of the 2001-2002 season. USF has four freshmen playing significant minutes in the paint - RS freshman Leeane Jensen with two Division I games was most experienced member of the bunch following the season-ending injuries to sophomore Mary Jane Krueger and freshman Angela Gibson. Jensen, Corry Berger, Gibson and Celeste Farmer have combined to average 14.7 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per contest to account for 21.5 percent of USF's scoring and 29.9 percent of the team's rebounding.

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 61-56 road victory.

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 has made 12 starts for the Lady Dons this season and averages 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

SHANLEY SHINES DEFENSIVELY: Senior forward Molly Shanley has made big contributions for USF this season, helping the Lady Dons to their best season since 1996-97. An early injury slowed her progress at the beginning of the season, but Shanley has been a defensive boost for USF off the bench, averaging 21 minutes per game. Shanley erupted for a season-high 10 points in an emotional win against Santa Clara.

USF RISING IN THE RPI POLL: San Francisco's success against a tough schedule has gained national attention. Entering the 2002 West Coast Conference Tournament, the Lady Dons were ranked 76th in the nation based on strength of schedule. USF has posted a 5-7 record against teams ranked in the top-100 in the RPI poll and in the latest rankings were tabbed as the 100th ranked team in the nation. The West Coast Conference also has been recognized in the RPI as the seventh-ranked conference, in front of the Pac-10, rated eighth.

VILMA FILLS IT UP FROM LONG RANGE: Junior guard Vilma Tamuleviciute continues to impress after suddenly finding herself in the starting rotation prior to USF's home game against Pepperdine. Since her insertion into the first string the Lady Dons are 5-1 with their only loss coming to 2002 West Coast Conference regular season champion Pepperdine. The 2001 Junior College All-American has showcased her solid all-around game averaging 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Tamuleviciute scored nine points in back-to-back victories in the Pacific Northwest last week and connected on 5-of-7 3-pointers and made three consecutive on back-to-back-to-back possessions against the Pilots. Tamuleviciute turned in a career day in a win against Loyola Marymount, scoring 12 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists.

LADY DONS DIALED IN FROM LONG DISTANCE: After struggling earlier in the season from 3-point range, USF has heated up considerably. Entering the 2002 West Coast Conference Tournament, the Lady Dons have connected on .365 (151-414) of their attempts from beyond the 3-point arc this season, equalling the mark established by the 2000-2001 squad, which rated as the third best team single season total in program history. San Francisco also appears well on their way to establishing a new team single-season record for most threes made per game for the third consecutive season, currently averaging 5.6 per game. The 2000-2001 edition holds the best season average of 5.24 per contest. During the WCC regular season USF elevated their accuracy to .392 (85-217) to lead the league. So far this season, the Lady Dons are 12-4 when they shoot better than opponents from long range. Three USF players shoot better than .400 from 3-point land: junior forward Carey Sauer, .519 (23-46), senior guard Lindsey Huff, .419 (39-93), and Vilma Tamuleviciute, .405 (11-24).

GIBSON A BOARD WARRIOR: Freshman forward Angela Gibson made her presence felt for USF on the boards during the non-conference season before being sidelined with a back injury prior to West Coast Conference play. Gibson made the first start of her collegiate career at #7 Stanford and scored five points and pulled down five rebounds against the Cardinal. In USF's come-from-behind win against Cal, the Oakland product made her fourth straight start and scored six points and pulled down seven rebounds. Gibson grabbed a team-high nine rebounds off the bench at Nevada-Reno. In a win against Cal State Northridge, Gibson scored 15 points on 7-of-8 from the floor and added eight rebounds. Gibson turned in a career-high with 11 rebounds against Long Beach State. Gibson led USF in rebounds four times this season and pulled down 59 boards in just nine games for a 6.6 average.

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.

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 226-190 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.

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF WOMEN'S ATHLETICS ON THE HILLTOP Join the University of San Francisco and the USF Athletic Department as we pay tribute to 25 years of Athletic and Academic Excellence displayed by Lady Dons in a Celebration Auction Dinner on May 4, 2002. Call (415) 422-6891 for additional information.

VALERIE GILLON & BRITTANY LINDHE NAMED TO WCC'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM: Former USF women's basketball standouts Valerie Gillon (1993-96) and Brittany Lindhe were named to the West Coast Conference's 50th Anniversary Team as selected by the league office. The conference accepted nominations from individual institutions and then chose the top 50 athletes from league sponsored sports from current league schools. Gillon wrapped up her outstanding career, leading the Lady Dons to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, including a storied run to the 1996 Sweet-16 after wins against #16 Florida and #13 Duke. The only two-time WCC Tournament MVP in league history, Gillon also ranks eighth in career scoring (1,188) and ninth in rebounds (652). Lindhe, the only four-time All-WCC First Team selection in league history played on three NCAA Tournament teams, including the 1996 Sweet-16 squad. Lindhe is the second leading scorer in USF history (1,619) and was named WCC Freshman of the Year in 1995 and earned WCC Tournament MVP honors in 1997. Gillon and Lindhe were two of eight women's hoops players selected.