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Women's Basketball Opens Season At UC Davis
Nov. 16, 2009
ON TAP: Tuesday, the University of San Francisco women’s basketball team will open the 2009-10 regular season at UC Davis. Tip-off against the Aggies is slated for 7 p.m. at The Pavilion. The game will mark the sixth straight season that the Dons have opened the season away from the Hilltop.
LAST TIME ON THE FLOOR: In The Dons’ second exhibition contest, USF up-ended Sonoma State 49-36. Donnisha Taylor led San Francisco in scoring with eight points, as each Don scored at least two points.
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: USF will open the home slate of the 2009-10 season Friday as they host Cal State Fullerton and Utah State at War Memorial Gym. Tip-off Friday against the Titans is scheduled for 7 p.m., while Sunday against Aggies, the game will start at 2 p.m.
DONS OPEN EXHIBITION AGAINST VANGUARD: Last week the Dons hosted Vanguard in the first of two exhibitions this season. USF dropped the 81-78 decision to the No. 2 team in NAIA. Down by as many as 23 in the second half, the Dons surged back to come within one with 58 seconds remaining in the game. San Francisco was led by freshman Mel Khlok and Rheina Ale, each who recorded double-doubles. Khlok registered 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Ale posted 21 and 11.
KHLOK ERUPTS IN SECOND HALF: Freshman Mel Khlok came off the bench against Vanguard and made a push for a starting spot with the Dons. In the opening 20 minutes, Khlok recorded eight points, six rebounds, before exploding for 15 points, five rebounds in the second half. The rookie also dished out four assists and two steals to combine with her 23 total points and 11 boards.
2008-09 REVIEW: Last season, the Dons finished the 2008-09 campaign with a 7-22 record, 3-11 in West Coast Conference play. The season included some notable accomplishments, including hitting 13 3-pointers in a single game (@ Cal Poly, 12/7/08), setting a program record. San Francisco also earned a season-series sweep of Loyola Marymount for the first time since the 2002-03 season. The Dons defeated the Lions in Los Angeles 58-56 (1/31/09) and at home 65-62 (2/26/09).
DONS’ VIKING VOYAGE: San Francisco took its game overseas in May, embarking on an 11-day, five game tour of Scandinavia. During the trip, the Dons visited Stockholm, Sweden, Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark, facing off against some of the top’s women’s basketball programs in the region. USF finished the trip with a 3-2 record, including a victory against the top team in Norway and two victories against the Danish National Team.
2009 O’BRIEN SCRIMMAGE: The USF women’s basketball kicked off festivities for the up-coming season three weeks ago, hosting the annual O’Brien Scrimmage. In the women’s scrimmage, the Green up-ended the Gold squad 34-20 in the 20 minute scrimmage. The two teams played to an 11-11 tie in the first half, before the Green exploded in the second frame, outscoring the Gold 23-9. Vania Singleterry led the Green team with 11 points and five rebounds. Freshman Ashey Boggs led the Gold team with nine points, while freshman Bailey Barbour pulled down five rebounds. This season the USF roster features six newcomers to the program - two junior college transfers and four freshmen. Bolstered by Boggs’ nine points, the newcomers on the USF team combined for 22 points and 13 rebounds.
TRIO OF STARTERS SET TO PACE THE DONS: Junior Donnisha Taylor and sophomores Rheina Ale and Vania Singleterry return to the Hilltop this season to pace USF into the Don of a New Era. Ale returns as the Dons’ top scoring threat from a year ago, when she averaged 10.1 points per game. As a freshman, Ale scored in double-digits in 16 contests. Singleterry returns for her second season in the Green and Gold, after posting three double-doubles a year ago. Taylor enters her junior campaign as a rebounding threat for the Dons, ranking in the WCC top-10 in the category last season.
NEWCOMERS LOOK TO MAKE IMMEDIATE IMPACT: This season USF welcomes six newcomers - a pair of junior college transfers and four freshmen - to the 2009-10 roster. Juniors Brittany Brumfield and Tawny Drexler come to the Hilltop from Trinity Valley CC and Western Nebraska CC, respectively. Brumfield signed with USF as a top-5 ranked point guard, while Drexler averaged 10 points, 7.0 rpg during her junior college career. Ashley Boggs, Whitney Daniels, Bailey Barbour and Mel Khlok make up the 2009-10 freshman class. Boggs led Sacred Heart Cathedral to three Division III State Championships during her prep career. Daniels was a two-time defensive player of the year at Mira Costa High as a forward. Barbour was a highly recruited post player, who garnered interest from BCS schools such as Pittsburgh and Oregon State. Khlok joins the Dons from Sacramento, where she was a two-time First Team All-Metro and Delta Valley selection.
USF BASKETBALL RETURNS TO KUSF: USF women’s basketball returns to the airwaves and cyberspace for the 2008-09 season with a bulk of the games available on KUSF 90.3 in San Francisco and all games available on USFDons.com. Join George Devine for the play-by-play in his 13th year behind the mic for the Dons. Other features on USFDons.com include GameTracker, courtesy of CSTV.com with live play-by-play and streaming video of all home games courtesy of Yahoo Broadcast.
SCOUTING UC DAVIS: UC Davis enter the first full week of the 2009 season with a 1-1 record. Over the weekend, the Aggies won their season opener at Seattle, 71-49, before falling at Washington State 64-54. UC Davis was led over the weekend by Paige Mintun, who averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds per game. Former USF Don Heidi Heintz started both games for the Aggies, posted 11 points, 2.5 rebounds per game. The Aggies are coached by Sandy Simpson, who in his 12 years maintains a 206-133 record.
SERIES RECORD/STREAK: San Francisco leads the all-time seried 4-1, despite dropping last season’s contest to the Aggies 56-49. All-time, when playing in Davis, the Dons are 0-2.
LAST MEETING: Despite hitting 11 threes, the USF women’s basketball team dropped a 56-49 decision to UC Davis at The Pavilion in Davis, Calif. Junior guard Danesha Wright led the Dons with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, while senior guard Shay Rollins recorded five three’s for 15 points against the Aggies.
SERIES NOTES:
• 2008-09: @UCD 56, USF 49
• 2005-06: @UCD 71, USF 67
• 2004-05: @USF 80, UCD 61
• 1978-79: @USF 68, UCD 42
• Last season, the Dons went 11-for-28 (.393) from beyond the arc at Davis, falling one short of the then-school record of 12 three’s in a contest.
