Nov. 7, 2008

ON TAP FOR THE DONS: USF women's basketball wraps up the 2008-09 exhibition season Sunday as the Dons host Showtime Basketball at War Memorial Gym. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will mark the final preseason tune-up for San Francisco before it travels to Knoxville, Tennessee next week to face the two-time defending national champion Lady Vols on November 15. Tennessee is currently ranked as high as sixth in the preseason polls.

LAST TIME ON THE COURT: The Dons opened the 2008-09 exhibition season Wednesday, downing San Francisco State 69-59 at War Memorial Gym. Thanks the a double-double effort by Necolia Simmons, the Dons posted a second half comeback to secure the victory. Simmons paced San Francisco with a game-high 18 rebounds and 15 points. USF fell behind early and headed into intermission trailing the Gators 38-24. USF came out of the half on a tear, rallying for a 24-4 run, including holding San Francisco State scoreless for nearly nine and a half minutes. The Dons outscored the Gators 45-21 in the second half thanks to a .452 (14-for-31) shooting percentage with 15 points off the USF bench, while the defense held SFSU to a .286 (6-for-21) clip from the field. Senior guard Shay Rollins led all scorers on the evening with 20 points, including 16 in the second half. The Alameda native connected on a game-high trip of three- pointers while dishing out four assists and four steals.

SCOUTING SHOWTIME BASKETBALL: Showtime Basketball is an Australian based team with its roster ranging from 10th graders to college graduates that provide college programs in the USA information regarding the best talent to come out of Australia. Currently, the Showtime Basketball tour is in the midst of traveling the West and East Coasts of the USA on their annual trip. Prior to facing the Dons, the Showtime Basketball team dropped a 101-64 decision to Washington State before falling 72-53 to the University of Idaho. Against the Cougars, three players scored in double-digits including Serena Benavente, who paced the squad with 16 points. Against the Vandals, Benavente added 21 points, while Kate Webb chipped in 15. Sarah Keeler led the teams on the boards, pulling down seven defensive rebounds and two offensive rebounds. Thursday, UC Davis upended Showtime Basketball 118-44. Prior to facing off with the Dons on Sunday, Showtime Basketball will play Saint Mary's in Moraga on Friday night.

Necolia Simmons NAMED PRESEASON ALL-WCC: Senior center Necolia Simmons has been selected as a preseason All-West Coast Conference selection by a vote of the league's head coaches. Simmons, the Dons' starting center, earned WCC Honorable Mention accolades last season after posting a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. She returns for her senior campaign as USF's second leading scorer from a year ago, when she averaged 11.0 points per game.

DONS TRAVEL TO TENNESSEE: USF will open the 2008-09 regular season campaign on Saturday, Nov. 15 at two-time defending national champion No. 6 Tennessee. The game will serve as a homecoming of sorts for Haave, who was inducted into the Lady Vols' Hall of Fame in 2005. A three-year starter for Hall-of-Fame head coach Pat Summitt, Haave stacked up numerous honors while competing in three Final Fours (1981-82 & 1984). A Kodak All-American, Haave's name litters the Lady Vols record books as she maintains 10 top-10 spots among career, single-season and single-game categories. In addition, the Dons' assistant coach Abby Conklin was a two year starter for the Vols during the 1996 and 1997 National Championship campaigns.