Box Score
(San Francisco) - Despite double-digit scoring efforts from four of five starters, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team dropped a nail biting 85-81 decision to Northern Colorado at War Memorial Gym in San Francisco. The Dons (1-3), who held a lead with three minutes remaining, pulled within two in the final minute of the game, but were unable to top the Bears (1-2).
Starters Rheina Ale, Vania Singleterry, Whitney Daniels and Mel Khlok all tallied 10 or more points for the Green and Gold.
Khlok paced the pack with 19 points, marking a career high for the junior guard. She also added three steals and three assists. The game marked the fourth-straight game that the Sacramento native has posted double-digits.
Daniels joined Khlok with a career-night, scoring 10 points, to mark her personal best. Daniels also led the team with seven rebounds and two blocks. Singleterry scored 15 points, 11 of which came in the first half. Ale added 13 and a team-high four assists.
Katy Keating, the fifth starter, fell just shy of double-digits thanks to nine points. The senior hit a trio of 3-point baskets to account for her scoring total. Keating currently sits in third place in the USF all-time record book for 3-point field goals made with 127.
San Francisco jumped out to an early in the first half, going up by as many as 11 at 11:39. After the third media timeout of the half, the momentum swung in the direction of the Bears, as Northern Colorado pulled together a 9-3 run to come within one at 6:12.
The Dons continued to battle in the half, holding on to their lead, taking a 41-38 edge into halftime.
USF didn't hold on to the lead much into the second half, though, as Northern Colorado took control of the lead, 44-43, for the first time of night at 18:18. The Bears went out to hold the Dons scoreless for nearly four minutes, opening a 12-2 run to go up by eight with 12:25 remaining.
San Francisco battled back, knotting the score at 71 thanks to a lay-up from Khlok, at 6:08. Over the remainder of the contest, the Dons and Bears would trade the lead three times.
Down 81-79 with two minutes remaining, the Dons missed four field goals over the next 1:30, allowing Northern Colorado to take an 83-79 lead on free throws. A jumper by Ale brought the Dons within two with 19 seconds left, but following a foul and two made free throws by Kaisha Brown, USF was unable to overcome the final four-point deficit.
Double-digit scoring from all five starters paced Northern Colorado, including 19 points from Oosdyke.
The Dons will now embark on five-game road trip, starting with a matinee game Tuesday at UC Davis.
