Feb. 6, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

WCC WEEK FIVE PREVIEW
Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, and San Diego finished the first half of conference play in a three-way tie for first place in the league standings with identical 6-1 records. The only losses that they have sustained came against each other, with the Zags falling to Saint Mary's, Saint Mary's losing to San Diego, and San Diego falling to Gonzaga. Santa Clara sits two games behind the leaders at 4-3 in conference play with an opportunity to gain ground as the Broncos host Saint Mary's next Monday in a Big Monday showdown on ESPN2.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Feb. 8
*San Francisco at Saint Mary's - 7:00 PM ^

Feb. 9
*Pepperdine at Gonzaga - 5:00 PM # %
*Loyola Marymount at Portland - 7:00 PM

Feb. 11
*Loyola Marymount at Gonzaga - 5:00 PM #
*Pepperdine at Portland - 7:00 PM
*Saint Mary's at Santa Clara - 8:00 PM $
*San Diego at San Francisco - 8:00 PM !

* Denotes WCC games; ^ Televised on CSNW; # Televised on FSN; % Televised on FSN Prime Ticket; $ Televised on ESPN2; ! Televised on ESPNU; All times PST

WCC CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Saint Mary's Golden And San Diego's Jones Share Weekly Honor
Saint Mary's senior guard Todd Golden and San Diego freshman forward Rob Jones were selected as WCC Co-Players of the Week for leading their respective teams to 2-0 records and a tie for first place in the conference standings to close out the first half of WCC play. Golden led the Gaels to wins over Portland and Gonzaga. The Phoenix, AZ native averaged 12.5 points per game, 3.5 assists per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, while shooting a blistering 80 percent from the field in the two wins. Jones averaged 21.5 points per game and grabbing 10.0 rebounds per game in the Toreros' wins over Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine. In addition, the San Francisco native shot 55.3 percent from the field.

WCC TEAM NOTES

Gonzaga Bulldogs (17-6 / 6-1 WCC)
- The Zags dropped an 89-85 overtime thriller at No. 23 Saint Mary's on Monday. The loss drops the Bulldogs to 6-1 in conference and into a three-way tie for first place in the conference standings.

- Junior guard Jeremy Pargo did everything he could against the Gaels, scoring a game-high 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the field. Pargo also added a game-best nine assists and grabbed four rebounds. He now leads the WCC with 6.13 apg.

- Freshman Austin Daye came off the bench to add 15 points, grab five rebounds and block a game-high four shots on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Daye has been on fire since the beginning of conference play, pacing all WCC players in field goal percentage (.704) and three-point percentage (.722).

- The Zags return home to host Pepperdine (2/9) and Loyola Marymount (2/11).

Loyola Marymount Lions (5-18 / 2-5 WCC)
- The Lions earned their second conference win of the season, defeating San Francisco, 72-67, on Monday.

- Freshman Tim Diederichs and sophomore Shawn Deadwiler led the Lions with 18 points each. It marked the second straight game that Diederichs has led the Lions in scoring, and the fourth time this season, while Deadwiler has now led the team in scoring a team-high 10 times.

- Junior guard Corey Counts chipped in 11 points and dished out a game-high eight assists. Counts leads the Lions and ranks fifth in the WCC in conference games in assists with 3.86 apg.

- Loyola Marymount starts the second half of conference play in the Pacific Northwest, playing at Portland (2/9) and Gonzaga (2/11).

Pepperdine Waves (7-16 / 1-6 WCC)
- The Waves fell to 7-16 overall and 1-6 in conference play with a 61-58 setback versus San Diego on Monday.

- Freshman forward Malcolm Thomas had an outstanding all-around game versus San Diego with 18 points, 15 rebounds, six blocked shots and four assists. It was his fifth double-double of the season.

- Thomas has put together an outstanding season and is the only freshman in the conference to rank in the top 10 in the WCC in scoring (8th-13.8 ppg), rebounding (3rd-8.8 rpg), field goal percentage (3rd-.553), and blocks (2nd-1.87 bpg).

- Junior guard Rico Tucker is tied for the WCC lead in steals with 48.

- The Waves host San Diego (2/4) before traveling to Gonzaga (2/9) this weekend.

Portland Pilots (7-16 / 1-6 WCC)
- The Pilots dropped a 52-50 decision at Santa Clara on Monday to fall to 7-16 overall and 1-6 in conference play.

- Sophomore guard Nik Raivio scored a game-high 23 points, including 20 in the second half, versus Santa Clara. Raivio has led the Pilots in scoring seven times this season and paces the team with 12.8 ppg.

- Sophomore Robin Smeulders set career-highs with 16 rebounds and four assists in the Pilots' setback at Santa Clara. Despite coming off of the bench, Smeulders has led the Pilots in rebounding in five consecutive games and in six out of the last seven contests.

- Freshman guard Jared Stohl is tied for third in the WCC in three-point field goals (42).

- Portland hosts Loyola Marymount (2/9) and Pepperdine (2/11) this week.

Saint Mary's Gaels (19-3 / 6-1 WCC)
- Saint Mary's improved to 19-3 overall and 6-1 in conference play with a thrilling 89-85 overtime win versus Gonzaga on Monday.

- Senior guard Todd Golden was a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 19 points against the Bulldogs. Golden was also selected as the WCC Co-Player of the Week, earning the conference honor for the first time in his career.

- Junior forward Diamon Simpson notched his ninth double-double of the season in the Gaels' win over Gonzaga, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Simpson's nine double-doubles are the second most in the WCC, while his 9.5 rpg paces the conference.

- Freshman Patrick Mills scored a team-high 23 points against Gonzaga.

- Saint Mary's hosts San Francisco (2/8) before traveling to Santa Clara (2/11).

San Diego Toreros (13-11 / 6-1 WCC)
- San Diego improved to 6-1 in conference play with a 61-58 win at Pepperdine on Monday. The Toreros enter the second half of WCC play in a three-way tie with Gonzaga and Saint Mary's for first place in the conference standings.

- The Toreros' 6-1 start in conference play matches the 1990-91 team for the program's best start in WCC play.

- Freshman forward Rob Jones chipped in 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds versus the Waves. Jones earned his first WCC Player of the Week honor, sharing the award with SMC's Todd Golden, after averaging 21.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg in USD's wins over LMU and Pepperdine.

- The Toreros look to stay atop the conference standings as they travel to the Bay Area to take on San Francisco (2/11) in a contest televised on ESPNU.

San Francisco Dons (6-16 / 2-5 WCC)
- San Francisco dropped a 72-67 decision at Loyola Marymount on Monday evening.

- With Bobby Knight's resignation at Texas Tech, San Francisco Head Coach Eddie Sutton becomes the winningest active coach in Division I men's basketball. On Saturday, he had become just the fifth coach to reach 800 wins with a victory over Pepperdine.

- Junior guard Manny Quezada and sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn each scored 20 points to lead the Dons against the Lions. Lowhorn (20.9 ppg) and Quezada (15.0 ppg) give the Dons the most prolific scoring tandem in the WCC, combining for 35.9 ppg, which is 54 percent of USF's scoring.

- San Francisco travels to Bay Area rival Saint Mary's (2/8) before hosting San Diego (2/11) in a showdown on ESPNU.

Santa Clara Broncos (12-10 / 4-3 WCC)
- Santa Clara improved to 12-10 overall and 4-3 in WCC play with a 52-50 win over Portland on Monday.

- Senior guard Brody Angley scored 14 points against the Pilots to become the 26th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point scoring plateau. Angley now has 1,005 career points.

- Junior center John Bryant registered team-highs of 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Broncos. The double-double was his WCC-leading 10th of the season.

- Bryant also added five blocks versus the Pilots to give him 134 career blocks and move him into second place on Santa Clara's career chart.

- SCU hosts Bay Area rival Saint Mary's (2/11) in a Big Monday showdown on ESPN2.