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SAN FRANCISCO – In the penultimate regular season home game, the San Francisco seniors began their farewell tour with a bang, leading the Dons to an 81-72 win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday afternoon from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

The Dons' dynamic duo combined for 35 points and 24 rebounds on the day. Taylor Proctor, a forward from Colorado Springs, Colo., finished with a game-high 25 points and nine boards, leaping to second in the USF career rebounding records. Las Vegas native Zhane Dikes finished with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, and became the Dons' all-time leader in free throws made as she swished her 418th attempt from the line in the fourth quarter.

"Coming into these last couple games we just wanted to show everybody that we're here and we're working hard and we're getting better each game," Proctor said after USF picked up its third straight victory. "The coaches have been preparing us to do that and our team is dedicated to the team's success and just wanting to win. It's really good going into the tournament."

USF now improves to 17-10 on the season, and sports an 8-8 mark in conference action. Still in the thick of the seeding race, the Dons are eying the opportunity to leap to fifth in the league standings with some help from BYU and San Diego in the final week of the regular season. With the loss, Loyola Marymount falls to 9-19 (5-12 WCC) with just one game left on the docket before the WCC Championships commence in Las Vegas on March 3-8.
 The Dons sprung into action from the jump, racing to a 13-3 lead after Anna Seilund's triple found its mark with 4:34 to play in the first quarter. USF continued to grow the lead throughout the frame, holding a 16 point advantage after the first 10 minutes.

In the second, the Dons kept connecting from long range while adding layups from Proctor and Alicia Roufosse. USF enjoyed its largest led of the game after a steal for Michaela Rakova led to the easy basket for Proctor to put the score at 38-11 with 6:30 to play in the period.

USF went into the break sporting a 19-point lead, but the Lions worked to cut it to nine after a 10-2 run in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Cast's layup with 3:35 to play in the contest made it 69-60 in favor of the Dons to cap the run. Sophie Taylor, who finished as Loyola Marymount's leading scorer with 23 points, hit a jumper with 44.1 seconds remaining to make it a seven point deficit, but the Lions could draw no closer. Forced to foul in the final minute of the game, USF was able to hang on for the 81-72 victory to notch the season sweep over the visitors.

The Dons finished the day outshooting the Lions 42 to 36 percent, and winning the battle of the bards 49 to 35. Effective ball movement for the USF offense led to 18 assists on 24 made baskets, with Rachel Howard notching her fifth game of the season with six assists to her name. Nine women scored points for the USF offense and all 10 players who entered the game scooped up at least one rebound in the contest.

USF concludes its regular season home slate next Thursday against Pacific, where USF will honor its prolific senior class of Dikes and Proctor. The Dons and the Tigers tip at 7 p.m.