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Men's Basketball | Meet the Team| Schedule/Results| Stats| News| Archives | |
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Jan. 24, 2008
Complete Saint Mary's Game Notes in PDF Format
USF WELCOMES ANCIENT BAY AREA WCC RIVALS TO THE HILLTOP: San Francisco returns home at long last for only its second home game in seven weeks when it hosts ancient Bay Area and West Coast Conference rivals No. 24 Saint Mary's and Santa Clara this weekend at War Memorial Gym. The Dons secured a split in the Pacific Northwest, downing Portland (60-59) before dropping a hard-fought 72-64 decision at defending WCC champion Gonzaga on ESPN Big Monday. The victory at Portland was the first road win of the season for USF, snapped a seven-game losing streak and was career victory No. 799 for Dons interim head coach Eddie Sutton. The Coaching legend enters the weekend looking to become just the fifth coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 800 all-time triumphs. San Francisco was swept by both the Gaels and the Broncos during the 2007 regular season series. Dior Lowhorn WORTH THE WAIT: After sitting out the entire 2006-07 season under NCAA transfer rules, sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn is making up for lost time. The Texas Tech transfer and Bay Area native averaged 7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a freshman for the Red Raiders. Lowhorn was named NorCal Player of the Year also captured "Bay Area Player of the Year" honors from the Oakland Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle following his senior campaign at Berkeley High School. Lowhorn averaged a team-high 22.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, scoring 26 points against Oklahoma (11/8/07) and then turned in his first Dons double-double performance with 19 points and 12 rebounds against East Central (11/9/07). Lowhorn poured in a career-high 30 points in his home debut against Sacramento State (11/17/07) en route to West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors. Lowhorn scored 29 points with seven rebounds at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07) in his third straight 20-plus point outing. Lowhorn has scored at least 20 points in nine of 18 games and has registered 19 points five times. On the year, Lowhorn averages a team- and WCC-high 20.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Dior Lowhorn AMONG NATIONAL SCORING LEADERS: Sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn ranks No. 25 among NCAA Division I scoring leaders at 20.6 points per game, as of January 20, 2008. Lowhorn is the first Don to crack the top-25 on the NCAA scoring list since John Cox (1999-05) accomplished the feat as a senior. Manny Quezada LEADS DONS OFFENSE: Junior guard Manny Quezada looks to improve upon a solid sophomore season for the Green and Gold in 2007-08. The Dons leading returning scorer (13.2), Quezada was named as one of six West Coast Conference "Players to Watch" by the league's coaches. In his first season after transferring from Rutgers, Quezada ranked 11th among WCC scoring leaders to go along with 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Capable of instant offense, Quezada tossed in 28 second half points en route to a career-high 35 points, at Saint Mary's (2/19/07). Quezada scored a game-high 29 points against East Central (11/9/07) and scored nine points in less than 90 seconds to close out the first half against the Tigers. Quezada notched his second career 30-point game with a 30-point outburst at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). The New York native averages 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. DONS TWO-HEADED MONSTER: USF's one-two punch of sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn and junior guard Manny Quezada made their 2007-08 regular season debuts at Oklahoma in opening round action of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. The duo, combined for 39 of San Francisco's 55 points in a 71-55 loss against the Sooners, accounting for a remarkable .701 of the team's offensive output. The pair scored a combined 59 points and 10 rebounds at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). Through 18 games of the 2007-08 campaign, Lowhorn and Quezada account for 35.8 points per game - .537 of the Dons total offense. USF DONS ON GREEN 960 AM: USF men's basketball returns to the airwaves and cyberspace for the 2007-2008 season and all games will be available live at USFDons.com, while all games starting after 7:00 PM (PT) will air live on Green 960 AM. Join Pat Olson for the play-by-play in his 17th year behind the microphone courtside. USF Hall-of-Famer Jim Brovelli will join Olson on selected broadcasts. Other features available on USFDons.com include GameTracker, courtesy of CSTV.com with live play-by-play and streaming video of all non-televised home games courtesy of Yahoo Broadcast. GAME #19/WCC Game #4 - SCOUTING NO. 24 SAINT MARY'S: The Gaels enter the third week of the 2008 West Coast Conference schedule with a sparkling 16-2 overall record and a 3-0 league slate after sweeping Pepperdine (79-74) and Loyola Marymount (87-55) in week two at McKeon Pavilion. Saint Mary's enters Saturday's game rolling on a four-game winning streak and have won nine of 10 with its only loss coming in a 81-62 setback at No. 14 Texas (1/5/08). The Gaels own quality wins against No. 11 Oregon (99-87), Seton Hall (85-70) and at Fresno State (77-68). Freshman guard Patrick Mills leads the Saint Mary's offense, averaging 14.8 points and 4.2 assists, while junior forward Diamon Simpson adds 13.3 points and a team-high 9.3 rebounds per game. Through 18 games, the Gaels average 78.4 points per game on .469 from the field, including .351 (149-425) from 3-point range. Saint Mary's limits foes to 64.4 points per game on .398 shooting, .391 from long distance. Randy Bennett is in his seventh season as the top Gael and owns an overall career record of 118-85 - all coming in Moraga. Bennett took Saint Mary's to the 2005 NCAA Tournament. TEAM COMPARISONS - 2007-2008 SEASON (As of 1/23/08): Team PPG Margin FG% 3-FG% FT% RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG USF 66.8 -5.3 .433 .322 .678 32.9 11.9 16.0 6.1 2.9 SMC 78.4 +14.0 .469 .351 .663 38.7 15.1 14.2 7.4 5.9 SAINT MARY'S PROBABLE STARTERS (As of 1/23/08) 2007 MEETINGS: at SMC 92, USF 83 (2/19/07); SMC 71, at USF 64, OT (1/20/07) SERIES RECORD/STREAK: USF leads 103-59/SMC won 3 ON THE AIR/ON THE WEB: GAELS AND DONS - THE SERIES: GAME #20/WCC Game #5 - SCOUTING SANTA CLARA: The Broncos enter the third week West Coast Conference play with an 10-8 overall record and a 2-1 league slate after posting back-to-back home wins against Loyola Marymount (58-35) and Pepperdine (101-86) The win against the Lions snapped a three-game losing streak. Santa Clara owns a 5-5 road slate, highlighted by an impressive 72-57 victory at Utah (11/19/07). Junior center John Bryant leads the way for the Broncos with 17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, while senior guard Brody Angley adds 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Through 18 games, the Broncos average 64.9 points per game on .490 from the field, including .413 (111-269) from 3-point range. Santa Clara opponents tally 62.6 points per game on .424 from the floor, .389 from long distance. Kerry Keating is in his first season at the Bronco boss - his first head coaching assignment - and owns an overall career record of 10-8. The former UCLA assistant helped the Bruins to consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances. TEAM COMPARISONS - 2007-2008 SEASON (As of 1/23/08): Team PPG Margin FG% 3-FG% FT% RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG USF 66.8 -5.3 .433 .322 .678 32.9 11.9 16.0 6.1 2.9 SCU 64.9 +2.3 .490 .413 .707 31.8 15.0 16.1 5.1 2.9 SANTA CLARA PROBABLE STARTERS (As of 1/23/08) 2007 MEETINGS: at Santa Clara 74, USF 62 (2/5/07); Santa Clara 61, at USF 58 (1/22/07) SERIES RECORD/STREAK: SCU leads 99-63/SCU won 3 ON THE AIR/ON THE WEB: BRONCOS AND DONS - THE SERIES: THE ROAD TO 800 CONTINUES AT WAR MEMORIAL GYM:
- USF returns home under interim head coach Eddie Sutton, who looks for career victory No. 800 vs. No. 24 Saint Mary's and Santa Clara this weekend. Oklahoma State vs. Saint Mary's - After a 60-59 victory at Portland (1/19/08) and a 72-64 loss at Gonzaga, Sutton owns a 14-4 record vs. West Coast Conference foes. Sutton is undefeated vs. Loyola Marymount (1-0), Pepperdine (4-0), Portland (5-0), Saint Mary's (1-0), San Francisco (1-0) and Santa Clara (1-0). Sutton's only WCC losses are to San Diego (1-1) and Gonzaga (0-3). Danny Cavic - WCC'S TOP LONG DISTANCE GUNNER: Senior guard Danny Cavic enters his final season in the Green and Gold focused on leading USF to the top of the West Coast Conference standings. Despite battling a chronic back injury, which hampered his mobility for most of the 2006-07 season, Cavic led the league in 3-point field goal percentage, converting on .462 (36-78) from long distance. Cavic is the first Don to lead the league in long distance connections since Tomas Thompson accomplished the feat in 1992. Cavic scored a career-high 19 points at Pepperdine (1/15/07), converting on 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Cavic enjoyed a good night against East Central (11/9/07) in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, scoring 14 points with seven rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes. Cavic matched his season-high with 15 points at Weber State (12/28/07) with four 3-pointers. The long range shooter has converted on .444 (36-81) from 3-point range this season and has 108 career treys, good for seventh place on the Dons career list. A career .443 (108-244) shooter from beyond the arc, Cavic needs seven more to move into sole possession of sixth place currently occupied by Gerald Zimmerman (1996-99) at 114. Cavic averages 8.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per games as a senior. WALKING IN MEMPHIS: Freshman guard Myron Strong continues to produce for the Dons. Strong turned in an outstanding prep career at Memphis' Hamilton High School and helped propel the Wildcats to a 39-0 record en route to the 2006 state title. Strong turned a huge performance in his War Memorial Gym debut against Sacramento State (11/17/07), scoring a career-high 21 points with four rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes off the bench. Strong scored 14 points with three assists at UC Santa Barbara (11/20/07) and followed it with 15-point, seven assist performance at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). In USF's 60-59 win at Portland (1/19/08), Strong scored 13 points with six rebounds and five assists. On the season, Strong averages 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, ranks second on the team in assists (3.5) and leads the Dons in steals (1.9). Christian Hernandez READY FOR AN ENCORE: Sophomore guard Christian Hernandez made some big contributions for USF last season and figures prominently in the back court mix once again in 2007-08. The former walk-on averaged 8.9 minutes in 29 games and scored a career-high five points at Saint Mary's (2/19/07). Hernandez established a career-high with nine points to go along with a pair of assists in 23 minutes against Weber State (12/8/07). Hyman Taylor REBOUNDS: Sophomore center Hyman Taylor is beginning to assert himself on the low block for USF. The Florida native has made big strides in the paint for the Dons and over his last five games averages 4.4 points with 7.8 rebounds per game. Taylor ripped down a career-high 12 boards at Utah Valley State (12/31/07) - the most by a Don this season - and pulled down 10 boards at Gonzaga (1/21/08). LOWHORN NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Francisco forward Dior Lowhorn was named West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Monday as announced by the conference office. Lowhorn scored a career-high 30 points and collected nine rebounds in the Dons' home-opening win over Sacramento State Saturday. Lowhorn shot .619 (13-21) from the field in his much-anticipated debut at War Memorial Gym. He also had two block and two assists in 36 minutes. A transfer from Texas Tech, Lowhorn was forced to sit out last season in accordance with NCAA regulations. He has averaged a conference high 25.0 points per game through the first three contests this year. Lowhorn also sits third in the WCC in rebounds per game with 9.3 and has a .525 shooting percentage, 13th best in the conference. POLAKOVIC TO MISS FIRST 24 GAMES OF SENIOR SEASON: USF senior forward Vince Polakovic will miss the first 24 games of the 2007-08 season the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff announced Wednesday. Polakovic's penalties were the result of his participation on a German professional team - in which several teammates, but not Polakovic, received stipends deemed by the NCAA to be above actual and necessary expenses - prior to his enrollment at Northern Iowa in 2004-05 and his subsequent transfer to the University of San Francisco. The USF Athletics Department will appeal this decision to the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee. With this decision, the NCAA has reinstated Polakovic's eligibility (making him certified for competition), but the Slovakia native must sit out the first 24 games of the 2007-08 season. Under the current ruling, Polakovic would be eligible to return to the Dons for their February 16 contest against Gonzaga. SAN FRANCISCO UPPING DEFENSIVE PRESSURE: USF has cranked up the defensive pressure under the direction of interim head coach Eddie Sutton. In the last three games, the Dons have allowed a stingy 59.0 points per game, while holding opponents to .413 shooting from the field. DONS ADD Robert McCullum TO THE COACHING STAFF: Former University of South Florida head coach Robert McCullum has been named to the coaching staff at the University of San Francisco as announced by interim head coach Eddie Sutton. A coaching veteran, McCullum spent four seasons as the Bulls boss after a successful three-year stint at Western Michigan. McCullum will be involved in all facets of the Dons program and is believed to be the only individual to coach at both USF's. Dior Lowhorn FIRST DON TO 30: Sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn became the first USF player to crack 30 points for the Green and Gold this season with a career-high 30 points on 13-of-21 from the field against Sacramento State (11/17/07). Lowhorn is the third Don to score at least 30 points in a game since the start of last season. Antonio Kellogg scored 37 against San Diego (1/6/06) and junior guard Manny Quezada poured in a career-high 34 at Saint Mary's (2/19/07). Manny Quezada SECOND DON TO 30: Junior guard Manny Quezada became the second USF player to crack 30 points for the Green and Gold this season with a 30 points on 10-of-20 from the field at No. 12 Oregon (11/24/07). Quezada is the fourth Don to score at least 30 points in a game since the start of last season and is the only player to accomplish the feat twice. Antonio Kellogg scored 37 against San Diego (1/6/06) and Quezada poured in a career-high 34 at Saint Mary's (2/19/07). DONS NOTCH PROGRAM VICTORY NUMBER 1,185: San Francisco collected the 1,185th victory in program history in a 60-59 victory at Portland (1/19/08) at the Chiles Center. In the 94th season of basketball on the Hilltop, the Dons have their eyes set on 1,200 program victories.
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USF Dons Athletics Men's Basketball
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