Box Score
SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco women's basketball team shook off the summer rust in its first exhibition game of the 2013-14 season, defeating Chico State 82-67 Saturday at War Memorial Gym.
The youthful squad that has but one senior opened the year with two new faces in the starting lineup. Redshirt junior
Paige Spietz, who sat out last season after transferring from Missouri, earned the nod in the center and made her presence known from the tip. She jumped in the circle to control the first possession for the Dons which ended with an offensive rebound and putback for the Brimfield, Ill., native.
The Wildcats kept the contest close in the first half, due in no small part to the 6-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc. Jazmine Miller, a CCAA All-Conference selection last season, was perfect from long range in the first period of play, hitting all three of her attempts.
The Dons held the slim 35-32 advantage at halftime, as
Taj Winston led the scoring charge for USF with 11 points and six rebounds in the first. The junior from Long Beach, Calif., nearly made it a 14-point half when her halftime buzzer-beater from long range clanged off the rim.
Chico State continued to keep it close in the second half, helped by multiple trips to the free throw line midway through the period.  But at the under-10 timeout, the Dons turned on the jets.
With the score at 53-48, an offensive rebound by freshman
Rachel Howard led to a successful trip to the free throw line by
Zhané Dikes. The Dons went on a 19-5 scoring clip that spanned five minutes of game time. The score stood at 72-55 after
Aundrea Gordon's only shot attempt of the afternoon was a swish from three-point range. The Dons maintained the lead down the stretch and went on to win 82-67.
USF was led by 20 points from Dikes, 12 of which came in the second half. Winston finished with a 19-pont 10-rebound double-double, and added two assists, two blocks and two steals in the game. Howard, who earned the start in her first collegiate game, broke into double-digit scoring with an 11-point effort on 4-of-8 shooting from the field. Not the only freshman to see action on the court, newcomers
Claudia Price and
Hashima Carothers also made solid contributions in the game. Price finished with eight points and five rebounds, while Carothers added six points and six boards in her first collegiate contest.
The Dons start the regular season with a two-game road trip to New York. USF plays Fordham, A-10 champions from one year ago, Friday at 4 p.m. PT, in a game televised by SportsNet New York.
