Box Score
(Provo, Utah) - San Francisco women's basketball used an all-around solid effort Thursday as the Dons upset No. 23 Brigham Young 71-64 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. Highlighting the USF efforts on the night was a 12-point, seven assist effort from junior Mel Khlok.
The win marked the first win over a ranked opponent for USF (5-22, 3-11 West Coast Conference) since the Dons defeated then-No. 7 Kentucky at War Memorial Gym in November of 2003. The win marked the first time in 16 years San Francisco defeated a nationally-ranked opponent on the road. The last road win over a ranked foe was in 1996 when the Dons defeated then-No. 13 Duke at Cameron Indoor in the 1996 NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
The win also marked the first program win for USF over BYU (22-5, 10-3). The two teams have meet a total of eight times, dating back to the 1980 season.
Brigham Young opened the game strong, holding onto the lead until the 3:23 mark in the first half. The Cougars went up by as many as seven in the half, until the Dons pieced together an 11-4 run to close out the half.
San Francisco's momentum carried into the second half, as the Dons went up by as many as 13. BYU took over the lead at 17:02, 39-37, before USF opened a 15-0 run to take a game-high 13-point lead at 12:16.
The Cougars rallied back, pulling within one down the stretch, but the Dons hit six free throw baskets to secure the victory.
Jamie Katuna led the Dons scoring efforts with 21 points. Katuna was one of four Dons to score in double-digits. Rheina Ale added 17 points, while Katy Keating posted 14, in addition to Khlok's 12.
Khlok also added four steals and four rebounds. Bailey Barbour led the defensive efforts with seven rebounds.
San Francisco's defense held Brigham Young to a pair of baskets from beyond the arc on the evening. BYU came into the game ranked 30th in the country in 3-point shooting percentage, but shot just 10 percent, going 2-for-20 in the game.
Kristen Riley led the Cougars on the evening with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
San Francisco returns to the court Thursday when they host Portland at 7 p.m. at War Memorial Gym. The game will mark the annual Senior Night as the Dons' recognize Rheina Ale, Vania Singleterry and Katy Keating for their contributions to the women's basketball program.
