March 1, 2002

GAME NOTES #4 USF vs. #1 Pepperdine 2002 West Coast Conference Tournament Semifinals, March 1, 2002 San Diego, CA - Jenny Craig Pavilion

San Francisco defeated Loyola Marymount 65-63 yesterday in the opening round of the West Coast Conference Tournament to advance to their second consecutive berth in the semifinals held tonight at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Lady Dons will square of against the top-seeded Waves of Pepperdine in the 6:00 PM contest, who dispatched Gonzaga in their opening round game 68-64. Santa Clara takes on Bay Area rival Saint Mary's in the late game tonight.

USF lost both games against the Waves during the regular season, falling at Malibu in the opening weekend of WCC play 81-69 on Jan. 12, and then dropped a 73-57 decision Feb. 8 at War Memorial Gym, handing the Lady Dons their only conference home loss of the season. The loss to the Waves was the last setback for the Lady Dons who have reeled off a season-long six-game winning streak - the longest since the 1996-97 squad posted a nine-game string en-route to the NCAA Tournament.

Tonight San Francisco plays Pepperdine in the conference showcase for the third time in the last four seasons. The Lady Dons hope to recapture the magic of last year when they upset the Waves 78-73 in the first round of the 2001 WCC Tournament. Last season Pepperdine also swept the regular season series with USF. The Lady Dons hold a 2-1 edge in the all-time tournament series with Pepperdine's lone victory coming in a 61-57 win in 1998-99. USF downed the Waves 59-43 in 1996 en route to the NCAA Sweet-16.

NOTES:

- USF enjoys a 4-1 edge in the West Conference Tournament Semifinals with their only loss coming last season against Loyola Marymount in the 2001 edition.73-56. - The Lady Dons won three consecutive semifinal match-ups in their three consecutive tournament title teams from 1995-97 and also won their 1991 appearance against Portland in the semis when the tournament included just four teams. - All-time tournament scores: - USF def. Portland 62-59 (ot) - 1992 (Santa Clara) - USF def. Saint Mary's College 64-50 - 1994 (Santa Clara) - USF def. Pepperdine 59-43 - 1996 (Santa Clara) - USF def. Saint Mary's College 67-56 - 1997 (Loyola Marymount) - Loyola Marymount def. USF 73-56 - 2001