The Cougs are set to take a trip to Southern California late this week, facing San Francisco and Santa Clara after splitting last week’s contests against Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga.
The Dons are firmly in the race for the top spot in the West Coast Conference standings as they are one of five teams along with Wazzu in a tie for first place. San Francisco presents a critical matchup for the Cougs as they look to create some distance and gain head-to-head advantages against other conference competitors after squandering that opportunity against Gonzaga on Saturday.
“I think it’s cliché but it does seem like a lot of people can beat a lot of people,” head coach Kamie Ethridge said. “There’s no clear someone so much better than anyone else and they run away with it. It’s a tough environment we go on the road for two games this week and and that’s not the easiest thing to do.”
Despite going 3-6 to start the year and now only being 8-8, San Francisco started off conference play on a hot streak. The Dons won their first five WCC matchups as a part of a six-game win streak dating back to an important home win against Arizona State on Dec. 19. San Francisco dropped its last two matchups against two other teams tied for first in Oregon State and Portland, but have also picked up wins against Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.
The Dons have shown toughness and resilience in facing the 69th toughest schedule in college basketball this season according to opponent RPI. Even with their .500 record, the team currently sits at No. 88 in RPI and No. 117 in NET, at least 20 spots above Wazzu in both rankings.
San Francisco’s Debora dos Santos, a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one the biggest threats the Dons have to offer. After earning All-WCC first-team honors last season, she was the only Don to make the All-WCC preseason team this season and is the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.9 points per game while also averaging 7.7 rebounds. Dos Santos’ matchup with WSU forward Tara Wallack will be a key one, as both players are top five in blocks and rebounds in the WCC.
Dos Santos and Spanish forward Emma Prota Trawally are both a big reason for San Francisco’s WCC-leading 40.1 rebounds per game. That total is over four more on average than the Cougs, and is something Kamie Ethridge said she wants to see improvement in after her team only grabbed nine rebounds in the first half against Gonzaga.
Wazzu also struggled with perimeter defense in their matchup against Gonzaga, allowing freshman Allie Turner to get hot from deep with four three-pointers and 20 points overall. Two of the Dons’ three leading scorers, Trawally and leading guard Freja Werth are shooting above 36% from three. Trawally is shooting 42.1% on 3.6 attempts per game, while Werth is shooting 36.8% on nearly six attempts. Werth is also the best free throw shooter in the conference at 93%.
The Cougs then travel just over 50 miles south to take on Santa Clara, which is getting its second straight home game of the week. Wazzu already hosted the Broncos earlier this year on Jan. 2, when they lost 68-62 in a relatively competitive contest. Santa Clara’s second-leading scorer, guard Malia Latu, exploded in the first matchup as she scored a game-high and season-high 21 points.
The Broncos do not have any players that stand out within the conference in terms of shooting effeciency or three-level scoring, but both Latu and forward Olivia Pollerd, the team’s highest scorer, are prone to have a standout scoring performance at any time. Pollered, the only Bronco picked to the All-WCC preseason team, has scored 20 or more points in six games this season, including 33 against Fresno State when she earned WCC player of the week.
Santa Clara defeated Wazzu in the first matchup largely due to taking advantage of a poor shooting performance by the Cougs. The team shot 34% from the field and 17% from three while taking 30 total shots from beyond the arc. The Cougs committed just seven turnovers, but simply lacked a signifcant scoring punch. If Wazzu can play more effeciently and create better chances around the hoop, avoiding a season sweep should be a very attainable task.
The Cougs may also receive a boost this week with the potential return of guard Charlotte Abraham. Ethridge said the team received good news after her MRI last week and that she will return, but gave no exact timeable for when she will action next.
The Broncos have struggled in conference play at 3-5 and sit at No. 205 in the NET. Dropping the home contest to Santa Clara was not ideal for the Cougs, but tying the season-series is crucial to keeping up in the WCC race. Losing against teams in the bottom-half of the WCC that are mostly expected wins only slows down the momentum and makes the path to the conference title that much more difficult.
The USF matchup is not necesarily a make-or-break, especially because the Wazzu will host the Dons later this season, but a win in San Francisco would go a long way in building the team’s resume against stronger conference opponents and holding an advantage at the top of standings.
The Cougs will face the Dons first at 6 p.m. Thursday before facing the Broncos two days later at 2 p.m. Sunday.
