Feb. 27, 2003

SAN FRANCISCO CLOSES 2002-2003 REGULAR SEASON: USF concludes the 2002-2003 West Coast Conference schedule this weekend when they host Loyola Marymount Friday and Pepperdine Saturday. USF swept the Lions and Waves on the road earlier this season, completing their first perfect weekend in Los Angeles since 1997. LMU has struggled, losing six of their last eight. Pepperdine continues to roll and has rattled off a six-game winnings streak since falling to the Lady Dons Jan. 31 and have won 11 of their last 12 contests. Despite an ugly 76-72 loss at San Diego last Saturday, San Francisco finished league play with a 4-3 road record, 7-7 overall away from home. The flip side is not pretty, where the Lady Dons have posted a 3-9 slate, 1-4 in the WCC.

SMART, VERY SMART: Junior forward Carey Sauer was named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-District VIII Basketball First Team after posting a 3.872 GPA in Mathematics. The award caps another impressive year for Sauer, who eclipsed 1,000 career points against Portland (2/14/03) and currently ranks 14th on the all-time scoring list with 1,058 in two-plus seasons at USF. Both Sauer and sophomore guard Toni Russell, a Psychology major with a 3.61 GPA were named to the 2003 West Coast Conference All-Academic team. The selection is the second for Sauer and the first for Russell, the 2002 WCC Freshman of the Year.

LADY DONS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Two Lady Dons rank in the top-15 among NCAA Division I statistical leaders, as released Feb. 17 Junior forward Carey Sauer, who finished the 2001-2002 season ranked third in free throw percentage at .918 (90-98), currently ranks sixth at .899 (88-98). Sophomore guard Toni Russell is 15th in steals per game with 3.5 swipes per outing.

PROBABLE LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS STARTERS (AS OF 2/24/03):
G. #3 Raelen Self, 5-6, Jr. (4.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.2 assists)
G. #21 Bianca Ziemann, 5-8, Fr. (5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.2assists)
C. #23 Adrianne Slaughter, 6-2, Jr. (10.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.5 blocks)
F. #33 Mary Turner, 5-10, So. (8.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.9 assists)
F. #44 Jennifer Henry, 6-3, So. (4.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.6 blocks)

PROBABLE PEPPERDINE WAVES STARTERS (AS OF 2/24/03):
G. #5 Shanell Law, 5-9, So. (8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 steals)
G. #12 Tamara McDonald, 5-7, Sr. (9.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.4 assists)
G. #31 Nicole Funn, 6-0, Jr. (8.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.7 assists)
F. #21 Keani Christianson, 6-1, Sr. (9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.0 blocks)
F. #23 Anna Lembke, 6-3, Sr. (6.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.6 assists)

USF LADY DONS Probable Starters - (As Of 2/24/03):
G. #2 Toni Russell, 5-3, So. (7.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.0 assists, 3.5 steals)
G. #22 Joy Hollingsworth, 5-10, Fr. (10.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.0 steals)
G. #13 Merisa Leatherman, 5-10, Jr. (4.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.4 assists)
C. #5 Leeane Jensen, 6-3, So. (6.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.2 assists)
F. #42 Carey Sauer, 6-0, Jr. (15.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.1 assists)

PLAY THEM ALL ON THE ROAD: San Francisco won their fourth straight West Coast Conference road win with a 69-67 victory at Santa Clara. Combined with a 71-61 victory at Pepperdine Jan. 31 and a 56-47 win at Loyola Marymount the next night, USF now owns a sparkling 2002-2003 road record of 7-7, 4-3 during league action. The Lady Dons dropped their final road contest of the year at USD. Last season when the Lady Dons tallied a 18-12 overall record, they went 7-6 on the road, but posted a 10-5 mark at War Memorial Gym. USF is just 3-9 at home so far this season.

SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: The Lions enter the final weekend of West Coast Conference action with a 12-13 overall record and a 4-8 mark in league play. Last weekend, LMU fell at WCC and Los Angeles area rival Pepperdine (76-63). After collecting a home sweep against Portland and Gonzaga in week one of league play, the Lions have won just two games in their last 10 outings. Despite the struggles on road, where the Lions own a 4-8 overall record, 0-5 in WCC play, LMU went 10-3 in Gersten Pavilion. 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 11.5 points to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Junior center Adrianne Slaughter continues her development and ranks second on the team in scoring (10.6) and leads the squad and the WCC in rebounds (8.4) and blocks (2.5). The Lions average 58.6 points per contest and convert on .370 (541-1461) from the field. LMU does an impressive job on the boards pulling down 41.8 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 25-13/USF won three

LAST MEETINGS: USF 56, at LMU 47 (2/1/03)

TEAM COMPARISONS (AS OF 2/24/03):
Team	PPG	Margin	FG%	3-FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	TOPG	SPG	BPG
USF	59.2	-2.7	.390	.343	.747	34.4	11.7	17.2	8.9	2.1
LMU	58.6	+1.2	.370	.278	.641	41.8	12.8	18.6	8.5	5.4

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LADY DONS: Sophomore center Leeane Jensen poured in a career-high 21 points and added six rebounds as USF completed their first LA sweep since the 1997 campaign in 56-47 win at Gersten Pavilion. Freshman guard Joy Hollingsworth added 17 points and dished out six assists.

SCOUTING PEPPERDINE: The Waves enter the final week of the West Coast Conference sitting atop the league standings with a 11-1 record and have won 11 of their last 12 games, with their only loss coming at home to San Francisco. Pepperdine has won six straight since falling to the Lady Dons. Through 12 league games, the Waves are winning by an average of 13.5 points and average 72.6 points per game while holding opponents to 59.1. Pepperdine is without the services of junior guard Shandrika Lee, who tore her ACL five games into the 2002-2003 season. Despite boasting the WCC's most potent offense at 72.7 points per contest (overall), Pepperdine does not have a single player in the top-10 in scoring, instead they have seven players scoring 5.0 points or more with six averaging eight or more. Nicole Funn leads the way for the Waves, averaging 10.2 points, while Tamara McDonald averages 9.7 points. 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 23-21/USF won one

LAST MEETINGS: USF 71, at Pepperdine 61 (1/31/03)

TEAM COMPARISONS (AS OF 2/24/03):
Team	PPG	Margin	FG%	3-FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	TOPG	SPG	BPG
USF	59.2	-2.7	.390	.343	.747	34.4	11.7	17.2	8.9	2.1
PEPP	72.7	+8.5	.424	.354	.684	39.1	11.9	18.1	9.3	4.0

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LADY DONS: Sophomore forward Leeane Jensen scored a team-high 16 points, while sophomore guard Toni Russell scored 15 as USF downed Pepperdine in Firestone Field House for the first time since 1997. Junior forward Carey Sauer scored 13, while freshman guard Joy Hollingsworth added 12 for the Lady Dons. San Francisco held the Waves to just .297 from the field for the game, while USF shot .636 (7-11) from 3-point range.

SAUER NEWEST MEMBER OF GRAND CLUB: Junior forward Carey Sauer continued her assault on the USF career scoring charts and eclipsed 1,000 career points with a 13-point night against Portland (2/14/03). Sauer passed 900 points at Portland (1/18/03). So far in two-plus seasons, Sauer has scored 1,058 points and is the 15th player in program history to surpass 1,000 points and first since Lindsey Huff (1997-2002) achieved the plateau last season. Sauer ranks 14th on the USF career scoring charts and needs 29 points to surpass former teammate Sarah Wanless (1995-2000) in 13th place. Wanless scored 1,086 points in her career on the Hilltop. Sauer has reached double-figures in scoring 53 times on the Hilltop in 84 career games. A 2002 All-West Coast Conference First Team selection, Sauer scored an amazing 2,100 points during her prep career in Washington.

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. 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. 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 .898 (88-98) and is the leading 3-point shooter, converting on .458 (44-96). Sauer ranks sixth among NCAA Division I leaders at the free throw line. So far this season, Sauer has led the Lady Dons in scoring in 13 games and has been the top rebounder in six contests. Sauer notched her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Santa Clara and added another with 16 points and 12 rebounds against Saint Mary's. Sauer poured in 27 points to lead USF to a 69-67 upset win at Santa Clara for the Lady Dons' first victory in the Leavey Center since 1997.

JOY HOLLINGSWORTH - SUPER FRESHMAN: Freshman guard Joy Hollingsworth continues to demand notice this season as one of the top freshman in the West Coast Conference. Hollingsworth made a huge splash in her second start of the season against #6 Stanford, pouring 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 and established a career-high with 26 points last week at San Diego. On the season, Hollingsworth averages 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Hollingsworth has led USF in scoring in seven games and was top rebounder in four contests. During WCC play, Hollingsworth is even more impressive, averaging 13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals.

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 (4.0), steals (3.5) and ranks fifth in scoring (7.6). In addition, Russell leads the West Coast Conference and rates 15th among NCAA Division I leaders in steals. Already in just 26 contests, Russell owns fourth place in the USF single-season record books with 91 and needs four steals to pass former USF assistant coach Tami Adkins for fourth place. Current USF head coach Mary Hile is the single-season leader with 135 in 1979-80. Russell turned in the sixth highest single-season total last season with 78 swipes.

MARY JANE KRUEGER DOUBLE-DIPPING: Junior forward Mary Jane Krueger made a welcome return to the lineup against Saint Mary's, turning in her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Her contest against the Gaels was her first since Jan. 3 at UC Irvine. Since making her return against Saint Mary's Krueger posted three consecutive double-doubles for the Lady Dons, including a 15 point, 12 rebound effort in a win against Gonzaga (2/15/03). On the season, Krueger leads USF in rebounds (8.8) and blocked shots (1.1) and is third in scoring (8.7). Due to the games she missed, Krueger does not appear among West Coast Conference leaders, but will be eligible in the final game of the regular season.

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).

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 on 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.