Nov. 24, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK: USF takes a short trip to Davis Tuesday to face UC Davis. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at The Pavilion. Live stats and audio can be found on the Dons website, www.USFDons.com.

LAST TIME OUT: USF faced Eastern Washington in Cheney, Wash. last Friday, dropping a 80-70 decision to the Eagles. The Dons led 38-33 at halftime before surrendering 47 points to the Eagles in the second half. Three Dons scored in double-digits, led by Danesha Wright with 23. Necolia Simmons recorded a double-double, her first of the season, with 14 points and a game-high 13 boards. Shay Rollins rounded out double-digits for USF with a season-high 21 points.

LOOKING AHEAD: Following the tilt with the Aggies, the Dons will return to the Hilltop to host the odwalla Classic Nov. 28-30. The three-day event will feature USF, Washington State and Northern Colorado. Tickets for the tournament are available by calling (415) 422-2USF.

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. In the season opener, Simmons pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds while chipping in six points before posting 10 points Tuesday in the Dons' home opener.

HONORING A FALLEN GREAT: Last week, former USF men's basketball coach, and coaching legend, Pete Newell passed away at the age of 93. Newell was a Hall of Fame coach who won an NCAA championship and Olympic gold medal, while coaching for 14 years at USF, Michigan State and California. In memory of Newell, the USF women's basketball team woe black bands on their jerseys Tuesday against Academy of Art.

DONS POST LARGEST WIN MARGIN SINCE 2005: Thanks to a 30-point (80-50) victory over Academy of Art last week, the Dons posted their largest win margin since the 2005-06 season, when San Francisco defeated Rider by 36 points (80-44, 11/25/05) as part of the odwalla Classic. A year ago, the largest victory margin for USF was a 23-point, 74-51, victory over San Jose State. The school record for victory margin is 76 points, thanks to a 98-22 victory over Stanislaus on Nov. 27, 1978.

USF IN HOME OPENERS: Since 1976, the USF Dons have amassed a 25-7 record in home openers. Last week, the Dons posted an 80-50 victory over Academy of Art in their first game at War Memorial Gym this season. Last year, San Francisco dropped a 66-48 decision to Colorado to open the home slate of the schedule. Prior to last season, the Dons had won its past four home openers thanks to victories over Colorado State, William and Mary, South Carolina State and Nevada.

THE COUNTDOWN TO 1,000: Senior guard Shay Rollins enters the second game of the season on pace to become the 17th member of USF history to record 1,000 or more career points. During her three-years on the Hilltop, Rollins has amassed 919 career points, leaving her 81 points shy of the 1,000 mark. Mary Hille (1977-81), a member of the USF Athletics Hall of Fame and a "Legend of the Hilltop", holds the Dons' record for career points with 2,324. Through the first two games of the season, Rollins has posted 55 total points to lead the Dons with 18.3 points per game.

ALE, SINGLETERRY EARN STARTING NODS: Freshmen Rheina Ale and Vania Singleterry have started both contests for USF this season. Ale, a guard from Carson, Calif., leads all San Francisco rookies with 6.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds a game. In the season opener, Ale scored just two points before erupting for a game-high 18 points Tuesday against Academy of Art. Singleterry has posted 5.0 rebounds in three contests, averaging 6.0 points per game. Ale and Singleterry are the first freshmen to earn starting nods for the Dons since Shay Rollins started 21 contests during the 2005-06 season. The last time USF had two freshmen starting on a regular basis was the 2001-02 season, when Toni Russell and Leeane Jenson started half or more of the Dons' 30 games.

ROLLINS RETURNS TO PACE OFFENSE: Senior guard Shay Rollins entered the 2008-09 campaign as the Dons top scorer from a season ago. As a junior, Rollins averaged 12.7 points per game thanks to double-digit scoring in 21 contests. Last season, Rollins ranked second in the WCC in three pointers with 75, shooting at a .379 clip from beyond the arc, while also ranking 11th in assists with 86. The native of Alameda, Calif. is a two-time West Coast Conference honoree, being named to the All-Freshman Team in 2005-06 and earned honorable mention accolades as a sophomore. This season, Rollins continues to head up the offense, leading USF with 18.3 ppg, seven assists (2.3 apg) and seven steals (2.3 spg).

WRIGHT MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT: Junior transfer Danesha Wright has made an immediate impact to the Dons this season. The guard has started all three games, averaging 12.7 points, going 11-for-29 (.379) from the field and a team-high 11-for-14 (.786) from the free throw line. Friday, against Eastern Washington, Wright led all scorers with a season-high 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting and seven threes. Prior to joining San Francisco, Wright played at Ohlone College. At Ohlone, Wright was named the Coast Conference MVP in 2007-08 and was awarded First Team All-State accolades. Prior to playing collegiate basketball, both Dons were members of the Berkeley High School varsity basketball team.

FIVE FRESHMEN JOIN DONS: The University of San Francisco welcomes five freshmen to this season's roster; all from the State of California. Rheina Ale, a 5-8 guard, joins the Dons from Bishop Montgomery High in Carson where she was a three-time Del-Rey League honoree, including being named the MVP as a senior. Hailing from Santa Rosa, Heidi Anton, a 5-9 guard, comes to the Hilltop after averaging 16.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds at Elsie Allen High. Kim Crandall, a 6-0 forward/center, joins the Dons from Liberty Christian in Redding, where she was a three-time All-North State and two-time All-State basketball selection. Katy Keating, a 6-0 forward from Santa Monica, comes to USF after leading Santa Monica High to four straight league championships, while Vania Singleterry, a 5-11 forward/center from Murrieta, was a four-time All-Southwestern League and All-Valley honoree at Vista Murrieta HS. Four freshmen have seen playing time in all three games this season, with Ale and Singleterry earnin g starting nods.

SIMMONS EARNS FIRST WCC NOD: As a junior last season, Necolia Simmons earned her first West Coast Conference accolade, being awarded the league's Honorable Mention honor. Simmons, a transfer from Joaquin Delta, earned honorable mention accolades after a stellar campaign on the Hilltop. The Deer Valley, Calif. Native posted 11.0 ppg, 87 assists and shot .704 (81-for-115) from the free throw line, while leading the Dons with 218 (7.3 pg) rebounds. Simmons posted four 20-plus scoring nights and five double-doubles for the season. Friday, Simmons recorded her first double-double of the season and the sixth of her career with 14 points and 13 rebounds against the Eagles. Her 13 rebounds tied a career high.

ROLLINS ON PACE TO SET USF RECORD: Senior guard Shay Rollins enters Tuesday's game 143 3-pointers shy of recording the most career treys in USF history. Currently, Rollins holds second place in the career record books with 134 threes. Lindsey Huff (1997-2002) sits a top the record book with 146 3-pointers made. For her career, in 89 games played, Rollins shoots .303 (134/442) from beyond the arc, averaging 1.5 3-pointers a game.

DROPPING THREES: Prior to last season, head coach Tanya Haave challenged the Dons to improve on its shooting from beyond the arc. The Dons responded to the challenge. In 30 games, the 2007-08 squad hit 177 3-pointers to nearly double its total of 89 from the 2006-07 season. A year ago, USF led the West Coast Conference with a .362 mark from 3-point territory. Current senior Shay Rollins heads returnees for the Dons when to comes to 3-point shooting, hitting 75-of-198 for a .379 clip last season. In the opening three games this season, USF has shot at a .258 clip from beyond the arc, including a .368 rate last Tuesday against Academy of Art. Shay Rollins leads the Dons with six treys, while Danesha Wright has recorded five, including four Friday in Cheney.

SAN FRANCISCO ADDS MARRIN, ADAMS TO USF COACHING STAFF: Two new faces will grace the sidelines of USF games this season, as the Dons have added Molly Marrin (Regis, 2003) and Venice Adams (Denver, 2006) to their coaching staff. Marrin was named assistant coach for the Dons have a year at North Dakota, where she served as the recruiting coordinator. Marrin was a four-year letterwinner at Regis, where she helped to lead the Rangers to two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. As a senior, she was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year and ranked among NCAA leaders in free throw and 3-point field goal percentages. Adams joins USF as the Director of Basketball Operations after playing for USF head coach Tanya Haave at Denver. With the Pioneers, Adams was a three-time Sunbelt Conference Honor Roll honoree, including being named to the All-Sunbelt third team in 2005-06. Following her collegiate career, Adams played professional overseas for two seasons.

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.

WAR MEMORIAL GYM TURNS 50: Home of the USF Dons since 1958, War Memorial Gym celebrates it 50th anniversary this year. The facility has hosted a wide variety of events from concerts to political debates, from basketball games to boxing matches. "The House that Russell Built" has enjoyed a rich history. The facility served as one of the home arenas when the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA moved to the Bay Area and most recently, served as a host venue for the 2008 International Children's Games.