Portland looks to regain momentum at San Francisco
By James Pigott
Jan 18, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Diego Toreros guard
Johnny Dee(1) drives to the basket against San Francisco Dons forward
Mark Tollefsen(23) during the second half at War Memorial Gymnasium. The San Francisco Dons defeated the San Diego Toreros 64-62. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco Dons (13-8, 6-3) vs. Portland Pilots (12-9, 4-5)
Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Location: War Memorial Gym, San Francisco, CA
Time: 7:00 PM PST
TV: None
Video: TheW.tv
LiveStats: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/usf.portal#
Last Season: San Francisco won at Portland 76-74. Portland won at San Francisco 78-76.
PROJECTED STARTERS
San Francisco
Matt Glover, 8.7 PPG, 3.4 APG
Avry Holmes, 11.6 PPG
Cole Dickerson, 14.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG
Kruize Pinkins, 12.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG
Mark Tollefsen, 11.4 PPG
Portland
Alec Wintering, 7.8 PPG, 4.1 APG
Bryce Pressley, 7.9 PPG, 3.4 APG
Kevin Bailey, 17.2 PPG
Ryan Nicholas, 12.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG
Thomas van der Mars, 12.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG
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KEYS TO THE GAME
San Francisco
Ride the hot hand: Cole Dickerson has been on fire as of late, 18.8 points per game over his last five games. Ryan Nicholas will be occupied with Kruize Pinkins and Thomas van der Mars will be occupied with Mark Tollefsen, so assume to see Dickerson take advantage of a smaller defender should the Pilots choose to play man-to-man. (Which they likely will due to San Francisco’s three point shooting prowess).
Portland
Look for Ryan Nicholas: Portland is 3-0 this season when Nicholas scores more than 15 points. Kevin Bailey is a great scorer, but Nicholas, alongside Thomas van der Mars, is a potent frontcourt that the Pilots need to take better advantage of.
KEY MATCHUP
Thomas van der Mars vs. Mark Tollefsen: Van der Mars is the more traditional post player while Tollefsen is a more versatile big man who can also play on the perimeter. It will be interesting to see which of these contrasting styles will win out in Wednesday’s game.
PREDICTION
San Francisco is a tough team to beat at home, and the Pilots do not have much experience playing against WCC teams on the road (7 of their 9 conference games have been at home). Therefore, I expect an 82-72 victory for the San Francisco Dons.