Feb. 28, 2005

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USF TAKES ON SANTA CLARA IN 2005 WCC FIRST ROUND THURSDAY: San Francisco takes on long time Bay Area and West Coast Conference foe Santa Clara Thursday night in opening round action of the 2005 WCC Tournament, hosted by Santa Clara at the Leavey Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM. It is the second straight season the Dons have squared off against the Broncos in the postseason classic. In 2004 Santa Clara improved to 3-0 against USF in tournament play with a 71-66 win and gave the Broncos their third decision against San Francisco in a nine-win season. The Dons split the regular season series against Santa Clara this season winning 76-64 (1/29/05) at War Memorial Gym, before dropping a frustrating 82-76 overtime loss (2/24/05) at the Leavey Center. USF enters the tournament after dropping three of its last four and suffered a road sweep at Santa Clara and Saint Mary's (72-57) in the final week of the 2005 WCC regular season. Tourney host Santa Clara has won three of its last five, but dropped a surprising 73-71 decision to San Diego in the 2005 regular season finale on senior night. Santa Clara owns the No. 3 seed, while the Dons claim No. 6. Last year USF was the No. 7 seed while SCU was No. 6.

Dominique Carter NAMED 2005 WCC NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Freshman guard Dominique Carter earned 2005 West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year honors as announced by the league office Monday. Carter is the third Don in four years to earn top frosh/newcomer of the year honors, joining teammate senior guard Toni Russell (2001) and Joy Hollingsworth (2002). Carter ranks third among league scoring leaders this season, averaging a team-high 15.5 points per game on .476 shooting, to go along with 4.7 rebounds per game. With 418 points on the year, Carter is the most prolific frosh scorer in the Green and Gold since current USF assistant coach Brittany Lindhe poured in 447 points (15.4 ppg) during the 1995 campaign, helping the Dons win the WCC Tournament and advance to their first of three consecutive NCAA berths.

Toni Russell EARNS SECOND WCC DEFENDER OF THE YEAR HONOR: Senior guard Toni Russell set the steals record for women's basketball in the West Coast Conference and also eclipsed the all-time league steals standard (men and women) en route to her second straight WCC Defender of the Year honor. It is the third major conference award for the 2001 WCC Freshman of the Year, making her one of the most decorated players in program history. Russell completed the 2005 regular season with 959 points, 376 rebounds, 356 steals and 431 assists.

THREE DONS EARN ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE HONORS: Freshman guard Dominique Carter, senior center Mary Jane Krueger and senior guard Toni Russell earned All-West Coast Conference First Team honors as announced by the league office Monday. It is the first selection for Carter, USF's leading scorer and the 2005 Newcomer of the Year, and Krueger, who owns third place on the WCC career rebounds chart. It is the second straight selection for Russell, who also won Defender of the Year honors for the second consecutive year. The three first team selections are the most for USF since three represented the Green and Gold in 1997, the last time San Francisco won the WCC Tournament and advanced to its third of three straight NCAA Tournaments. League champion No. 24 Gonzaga placed just two on the squad despite owning the nation's longest winning streak (21 games) and an unblemished 14-0 slate in conference play.

GAME #28 - SCOUTING SANTA CLARA: The Broncos enter the 2005 West Coast Conference tournament as the No. 3 seed after compiling a 14-13 overall record and a 8-6 league slate. Winners of three of its last five, Santa Clara earned a home split last weekend with a thrilling overtime victory against San Francisco (82-76), before suffering a surprising loss against San Diego (73-71) on senior night. The Broncos score 71.2 points per game on .414 from the field and hit at a remarkable .366 (233-636) clip from 3-point range. Senior guard Quinn Thomas averages a team-high 14.5 points and converts on .368 (56-152) from long distance. Junior guard Michelle Cozad adds 12.1 points, hitting at a .421 (45-107) rate from deep, while sophomore guard Ashley Graham adds 9.5 points, connecting on .452 (47-104) from downtown. Michelle Bento-Jackson is in her third season as the Bronco boss and owns a 42-44 overall record. Bento-Jackson guided Santa Clara to the 2003 Postseason WNIT in her first season at the helm.

LONG DISTANCE CHARGES MAY APPLY: Santa Clara shattered the West Coast Conference record for 3-pointers in a season for the second consecutive year and currently has a mind-boggling 233, for an average of 8.6 per game after connecting on 200 (6.9) during the 2003-04 campaign. For perspective, USF has made 83 (3.1) this year and has attempted 276, while the Broncos have hoisted up 636. The Dons' high-water mark from beyond the arc came in 2001-02 when they made 166 (5.5) from downtown.

LAST MEETINGS: SCU 49, at USF 48 (1/10/04); at SCU 75, USF 45 (1/22/04); at WCC SCU 71, USF 66 (3/4/04); at USF 76, SCU 64 (1/29/05); at SCU 82, USF 76,ot (2/24/05)

SERIES RECORD/STREAK: SCU leads 28-15/SCU won 1

WCC TOURNAMENT SERIES RECORD: SCU leads 3-0

RECENT SERIES HISTORY: San Francisco last swept the regular season series against Santa Clara during the 1997 season, en route to its third straight West Coast Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth. The Broncos have dominated since, rolling to 10 straight wins before USF finally snapped the string in 2002 with a 87-79 win at War Memorial Gym and took a 69-67 win at the Leavey Center in 2003. Since 1997, Santa Clara owns a 15-3 record against the Dons with five season series sweeps and recorded three wins against its Bay Area rivals in 2000 and 2004.

WCC TOURNAMENT MEETINGS:
1992 WCC Tournament Finals (at SCU) -
Santa Clara 67, USF 62 (3/14/92)
1999 WCC Tournament First Round (at SCU) -
Santa Clara 74, USF 56 (3/3/00)
2004 WCC Tournament First Round (at SCU) -
Santa Clara 71, USF 66 (3/4/04)
2005 WCC Tournament First Round (at SCU) -

MISCELLANEOUS SERIES NOTES:
First Game: Santa Clara won (47-23) in 1964-65
Largest SCU Margin of Victory: 30, on 1/22/04 (75-45) at SCU
Largest USF Margin of Victory: 37, on 12/11/79 (74-37) at USF

PROBABLE SANTA CLARA STARTERS (As of 2/27/05)
G. #4 Chandice Cronk, 5-8, Fr. (6.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.8 assists)
G. #33 Kayla Huss, 5-7, Jr. (6.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.2 assists)
G. #30 Quinn Thomas, 5-9, Sr. (14.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.4 assists)
G. #31 Yasemin Kimyacioglu, 5-7, So. (2.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.7 assists)
F. #24 Kasey Monteith, 6-1, So. (6.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.8 assists)

TEAM COMPARISONS - 2004-2005 SEASON - ALL GAMES:
Team	PPG	Margin	FG%	3-FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	TOPG	SPG	BPG
USF	62.9	-0.8	.423	.301	.720	37.7	13.9	18.7		9.9	2.5
SCU	71.2	+1.3	.414	.366	.731	35.3	14.9	16.6		8.7	3.2

NOTHING LIKE THE FIRST TIME: USF squared off against Santa Clara in the 1992 West Coast Conference Tournament Finals held at what was then called Toso Pavilion. The tournament consisted of just the top four league teams and San Francisco advanced after a thrilling 62-59 overtime victory against Portland, while the Broncos seized a 65-60 win against Pepperdine. USF fell 67-62 in the championship, despite a monster night by Dons standout center Marlene Henderson, who poured in 30 points and ripped down 14 rebounds in her final game in the Green and Gold. The next two meetings were not nearly as competitive as the Broncos raced past San Francisco for an easy 74-56 win in 1999 and took a 71-66 victory last season with both contests coming at Toso/Leavey Center.

SENIORS LEAVE THEIR MARK IN HOME FINALE: USF's seniors dominated the final home game of their careers in a 83-58 win against Portland. Senior center Mary Jane Krueger erupted for a career-high 28 points, converting on 12-for-16 from the field and pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds. It was the 25th career-double-double for the Quincy native, who had 12 points and 12 boards at the half. The 18 rebounds vaulted Krueger into fourth place on the career WCC charts with 849. Senior guard Toni Russell scored 16 points and dished out a career-high 11 assists in 35 minutes of action. The San Francisco native connected on 4-of-7 from the floor and went a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line and recorded five steals.

USF'S BIG THREE: San Francisco has gotten consistent big production from its "Big Three" - freshman guard Dominique Carter, senior center Mary Jane Krueger and senior guard Toni Russell. All three earned 2005 All-West Coast Conference First Team honors, while Carter was named top newcomer and Russell won top defender accolades for the second straight year. As a group the three average 36.8 points on .456 (384-843) shooting from the field to go along with 17.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 5.2 steals per game. The trio accounts for a staggering 59 percent of the teams's scoring and 46 percent of the Dons rebounding.

Toni Russell EXTENDS WCC CAREER SWIPES RECORD WITH 356: Senior guard Toni Russell recorded another milestone against Gonzaga (2/17/05). With her second steal, Russell became the all-time steals leader (men and women) in West Coast Conference history and enters the 2005 WCC Tournament with 356. Russell set the women's basketball standard against Pepperdine (1/8/05) cruising past the previous league mark of 318 held by Portland's Deana Lansing (1993-97). With three steals against the Bulldogs, Russell passed USF Hall-of-Famer Gerald Walker (1992-95), who holds the men's league steals record with 344. The San Francisco native leads the WCC in steals, has posted five or more steals in six games and shares ninth place nationally among Division I leaders in steals (3.5) as of 2/21/05.

KRUEGER MOVES INTO THIRD PLACE ON WCC CAREER REBOUND LIST: With her third rebound at Loyola Marymount (2/5/05), sixth-year senior center Mary Jane Krueger moved into second place on the USF career rebound list with 813, passing former standout Melinda Harrison (1985-89), who tallied 808. Current USF head coach Mary Hile-Nepfel (1977-81) is the all-time leader with 1,602. With four rebounds at Saint Mary's in the 2005 regular season finale (2/26/05), Krueger now owns third place on the West Coast Conference career caroms list in overall games with 865, and passed Pepperdine's Nadja Morgan (1998-02), who held third place at 851 with a 18 rebound night against Portland (2/19/05). Krueger leads the league in rebounding (9.1), has recorded 10 or more boards in 10 games and has led the team 22 times this season.

Dominique Carter CONTINUES TO LEAD THE DONS: Freshman guard Dominique Carter continues to make an impact for USF this season and scored a team-high 21 points at Santa Clara (2/24/05). Carter has scored 418 points this season and leads the team with a 15.5 average, good for third place among West Coast Conference leaders. A two-time WCC Player of the Week, Carter poured in a career-high 30 points in an double overtime win at Pepperdine (2/3/05), the highest single-game tally since Carey Sauer (1999-04) scored 32 at Portland (1/18/03). The Tracy native leads the Dons with 21 double-digit scoring nights, including a team-best five contests with 20 or more points.

2005 WCC TOURNAMENT BROADCAST SCHEDULE: All USF games at the 2005 West Coast Conference Tournament will be carried live by KUSF, 90.3 FM San Francisco and will be available online at www.usfdons.com, courtesy of YahooSports. Join veteran play-by-play man George Devine, Jr. for all the exciting tournament action.

USF ON THE RADIO AND THE NET: USF women's basketball returns to the airwaves and cyberspace for the 2004-2005 season and all games will be available live at USFDons.com and at KUSF 90.3 FM. Join George Devine, Jr. for the play-by-play of all 28 games of the 2004-2005 schedule. USF women's basketball is in its ninth season on the radio and in cyberspace. Other features include GameTracker, courtesy of College Sports with live play-by-play. Live streaming video of non televised home contests, courtesy of YahooSports also began this year.

CARTER KEEPS UP THE SCORING PACE: Freshman guard Dominique Carter continues to lead USF in scoring (15.5) and is on pace to be one of the better freshmen scorers in program history. So far, Carter has scored 418 points in 27 games in the highest frosh tally since current Dons assistant coach Brittany Lindhe poured in 447 (15.4 ppg) as a freshman in 1994-95. With a career-high 30 points at Pepperdine (2/3/05), Carter passed Joy Hollingsworth (2002-2004), who tallied 309 (10.7 ppg) during her West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year campaign.

Heidi VanDerveer AT THE HELM: With head coach Mary Hile-Nepfel out indefinitely with an illness, top assistant coach Heidi VanDerveer assumed day-to-day coaching duties of the team prior to the Dons road contest at Seton Hall December 20. A professional and collegiate coaching veteran, VanDerveer served as head coach of the Sacramento Monarchs (1997-98) and Minnesota Lynx (2002) of the WNBA, following three seasons as the head coach at Eastern Washington (1995-97). USF's 63-48 victory against Pepperdine (1/8/05) was the first win for VanDerveer as the acting head coach. VanDerveer guided the Dons to a 6-8 record during the 2005 West Coast Conference regular season and a 6-11 overall slate since assuming coaching duties prior to USF's road contest at Seton Hall (12/20/04).

USF'S Mary Hile-Nepfel OUT FOR THE YEAR: USF head women's basketball coach Mary-Hile Nepfel continues to recover from a serious case of pneumonia and will miss the remainder of the 2004-05 season. Hile-Nepfel, the leading scorer in USF basketball history, felt ill after the Dons home game against Sonoma State December 17 and did not accompany the team on its trip to play at Seton Hall. She is in her 18th season as the Dons' women's basketball coach and the 22nd year as a player and coach.

Toni Russell - 2004 WCC DEFENDER OF THE YEAR: Throughout her career, USF senior guard Toni Russell built a reputation as one of the toughest defenders in the West Coast Conference and earned the hardware to prove it, capturing 2004 Defender of the Year honors. The 2002 WCC Freshman of the Year, turned in a career season as a junior, setting new marks in scoring (9.9), rebounds (3.7) and assists (4.1). Russell entered the season in second place on the USF career steals list with 264, needing just seven to surpass Tami Adkins (1989-93) as the all-time leader. Russell passed Adkins mark with her first steal in a win against William and Mary (11/26/03). With her first steal against Pepperdine (1/8/05), Russell passed Portland's Deana Lansing (1993-97/318) as the league's best thief and currently owns 356 swipes. An excellent playmaker, Russell enters the 2005 West Coast Conference Tournament owning sole possession of fifth place on the career assists chart after passing former teammate Lindsey Huff (1997-2002) with 431. Adkins holds fourth place with 501. Russell is the first Don to lead the team in assists and steals in three consecutive seasons since Adkins accomplished the feat from 1991-93. A member of the 2003 and 2004 odwalla Classic All-Tournament Team, Russell scored a career-high 28 points in a win at San Diego (1/24/04). On the season, Russell averages 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds 4.3 assists and 3.4 steals per game.

Mary Jane Krueger BACK FOR MORE: Sixth-year senior center Mary Jane Krueger makes a welcome return to the lineup for the 2004-05 season. One of the most relentless rebounders in the West Coast Conference, Krueger ranks second in USF and third in WCC history with 865 boards. Current Dons head coach Mary Hile-Nepfel is the all-time leader with 1,602. Krueger owns seventh place on the blocked shots list with 75 after passing former teammate Kim Whisler (1997-2001) at 71 career swats. This season, Krueger averages 10.9 points, leads the West Coast Conference with 9.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game and has recorded seven double-doubles, elevating her career tally to 26. On the year, Krueger has led the team in scoring seven times and has been the top rebounder 22 times.

Dominique Carter - WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Freshman guard Dominique Carter made an immediate impact for USF in her first two games in the Green and Gold and was selected as West Coast Conference Player of the Week in the process after averaging 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Carter poured in a game-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds for her first career double-double in only her second collegiate contest at Denver (11/21/04). Carter earned all-tournament honors at the 2004 odwalla Classic, scoring 37 points to go along with six rebounds and a pair of steals against William and Mary and Oakland. Carter turned in her second double-dip of the season at Cal Poly (12/5/04) with 17 points and 13 boards and scored a career-high 23 points against Loyola Marymount. Carter poured in a career-high 30 points in a double overtime win at Pepperdine (2/3/05), converting on 13-of-16 from the field. So far this season, Carter averages a team-high 15.5 points on .476 (172-361) shooting to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. Carter has recorded 21 double-digit scoring nights and has led the team in scoring in 16 games this season.

KATSUYAMA OUT WITH KNEE SURGERY: Sophomore guard Jennifer Katsuyama started the West Coast Conference campaign on a strong note, which is a good sign for USF. Katsuyama scored 10 points and dished out seven assists in San Francisco's win against Pepperdine (1/8/05). Katsuyama scored a career-high 15 points at Loyola Marymount (2/5/05), but suffered a knee injury and is out indefinitely. Katsuyama appeared in 22 games with 16 starts averaging 5.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and rated second on the team with 2.4 assists per game. In nine WCC contests, Katsuyama added 7.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

SAN FRANCISCO SHARP SHOOTERS: USF enters the 2005 West Coast Conference Tournament ranked second in field goal percentage, connecting on .423 (641-1515) from the field. The Dons have six players converting on .400 of their attempts or better, led by senior center Mary Jane Krueger at .502 (118-235). USF struggles from behind the 3-point arc, connecting on .301 (83-276) from long distance, good for sixth place in the WCC. The .423 percentage is the highest for San Francisco since the 1997 NCAA squad connected at a .426 clip.

DONS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY: USF has led the West Coast Conference in free throw percentage in two of the last three seasons and the Dons continue to shoot well at the stripe this year, although they rank fourth in 2005. San Francisco has converted on .720 (334-464) at the charity stripe this season. The Dons have shot better than their opponents at the line in 16 of their 27 contests this season. Senior guard Toni Russell leads the way for the Dons and the entire league at the stripe connecting on .864 (57-66). If Russell can maintain it during the postseason, she could be the fourth USF player to lead the league at the foul line in the last five seasons.

JENSEN PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF: Senior center Leeane Jensen showed little signs of rust for USF in the opening weekend of the 2004-2005 season. After missing all of 2003-2004 with an illness, Jensen averaged 8.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals against Colorado State and Denver. A West Coast Conference Player of the Week selection in 2003, Jensen averaged 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds as a junior. Jensen enjoyed a strong effort off the bench against UC Davis (11/30/04), tallying eight points and five rebounds in 22 minutes. Playing in front of family and friends at Cal Poly, Jensen, from nearby Morro Bay, scored six points, three rebounds and a pair of assists in 22 minutes. Jensen scored a season-high 13 points in 13 minutes against Marist (12/28/04) and recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Gonzaga (2/17/05). So far this season, Jensen chips in 6.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Dons. In WCC play Jensen averaged 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Lisa Olden CONTRIBUTING AS A FRESHMAN: Freshman center Lisa Olden has shown a lot of promise for USF during the start of the 2004-2005 season and made her first career start against UC Davis (11/30/04). Olden scored a career-high 12 points to go along with six rebounds and five steals against San Jose State (12/2/04) and followed with eight points and five rebounds in a road win at Cal Poly (12/5/04). Olden scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds in a win against Saint Mary's (1/27/05) and turned in a career-high 17 points at Loyola Marymount (2/5/05). On the year, Olden averages 4.7 points to go along with 3.7 rebounds per game.

LaShaunte Stephens STEPPING UP FOR USF: Freshman guard LaShaunte Stephens has turned in a solid freshman season for USF, averaging 6.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Stephens scored a career-high 16 points, including 11 straight points late in regulation in a win against San Diego (2/12/05) and also reached double figures with a 12-point outing against Long Beach State (12/9/04).

Mary Hile-Nepfel COLLECTS WIN #250: USF's 62-59 road victory at Denver (11/21/04) gave USF head coach Mary Hile-Nepfel her 250th career victory, all coming at her alma mater. In her 18th season on the Hilltop, Hile-Nepfel is one of just three coaches in USF athletic history to reach the milestone, joining Steve Negoesco (544) of men's soccer and baseball's Dante Benedetti (373).

USF VERSUS THE TOP-25: San Francisco played their second top-25 opponent of the season when they squared off against No. 25 New Mexico on New Year's Eve at The Pit. USF battled, but suffered a 63-52 setback against the Lobos. The Dons dropped a 80-51 decision to then No. 2 Stanford December 12. USF's last victory against a top-25 opponent came with a 66-60 victory against No. 19 Oregon (1/2/00) at War Memorial Gym. Gonzaga finished the regular season at No. 25, but USF played both league contests against the Zags when they were on the fringes of the top-25.