DAVIS, Calif. – It took late-game calm and confidence at the line for the San Francisco women's basketball team to finish off UC Davis 73-70 Tuesday night at The Pavilion.

Matching its best start since the 1994-95 season, the Dons stand at 6-1 after the victory, and USF is riding a three game winning streak. Meanwhile, UC Davis moves to 3-3 on the year as the Dons extend their streak over the Aggies to three straight. The win away from the Hilltop is the first for USF this season, who are embarking on a three-game road swing.

"I think it's important for any team to establish a good road presence," head coach Jennifer Azzi noted. "Obviously, half of our conference games are on the road and that's a lot of what the preseason is about is getting ready for conference and being in tough environments."

USF had four women finish with double-digit scoring, paced by 16 points from junior Taylor Proctor. Rachel Howard finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Zhane Dikes added 13 points, four assists and four steals. Paige Spietz closed with 12 points including a 7-of-8 effort from the line and a team-high seven rebounds.

Both teams opened with sharp shooting, as the teams were tied at 7-7 after the first two minutes of the game, with every shot hurled toward the basket finding its mark. But the Aggies would stall on seven, as the Dons scored the next 12 points in the game to open up the 19-7 advantage, what would prove to be the largest advantage for either team in the contest.

During the five minute span, the Dons forced UC Davis into five turnovers, and the home team went 0-for-5 from the field. But the Aggies stopped the scoring drought with five unanswered from Rachel Nagel. After a USF turnover, a 3-pointer by Celia Marfone pulled the Aggies within four points, as the Dons' lead was trimmed to 19-15.

By halftime, the four-point margin remained intact after UC Davis finished the period with a successful layup and foul shot, and the Dons clung to a 41-37 lead.

The second period began with a bang for UC Davis, and after back-to-back 3-pointers the Aggies scrapped to a 49-45 lead with 15:31 to play. USF would reverse the scoreboard after Aundrea Gordon sunk a 3-pointer, but it took just 13 seconds for the lead to change hands yet again. The remainder of the game would prove to be a see-saw battle. In fact, the Dons and Aggies saw the lead change 15 times, and the score knotted eight times throughout the contest.

"Basketball is absolutely a game of momentum. Any game – no matter the skill set of each team – each team is going to get a run," Howard explained. "You've got to stay confident, you've got to know that we're going to have a run coming back. So even when things seem like they're going to fall apart you've just got to stay confident and know that we're going to come right back in it."

The Aggies would nab its biggest lead of the evening – four points – when Alyson Doherty swept in for the layup and make it 60-56 in favor of the home team. Minutes later, Howard drove in for the layup and Spietz' fadeaway from the free throw line swished in to give the Dons the 63-61 lead with 8:26 remaining.

After Dikes made the front end of her trip to the line with 3:54 to play the score was again knotted at 68 apiece. The next points went to the Aggies, from the free throw line, and the final tie of the night came on a jumper from Dikes with 1:07 remaining. After miscues from the field for both squads, Spietz found herself at the line with 19.1 ticks on the clock. After missing her first attempt, the senior from Brimfield, Ill., connected on the second to give USF a 71-70 advantage. Two layup attempts fell short for UC Davis' Doherty and Spietz fought for the defensive rebound and was fouled in the process. With 7.7 seconds to play, she knocked down a pair of free throws as USF closed with a 73-70 victory over the Aggies.

Both teams finished shooting over 45 percent on the night from the floor, and over 40 percent from 3-pointrange. The Dons were outrebounded for the first time on the season, as the Aggies held the advantage 33-28 in the contest. Notably, USF forced UC Davis into 21 turnovers, and the Dons had seven extra free throw tries in the game, hitting their attempts from the line at an 81.8 percent clip.

"I love my team. We work so hard, and this is the reward you get for working hard," Howard said. "Winning games like this – this is why you play. You play for the nailbiters, the pressure, the fun. It's awesome. But we're not satisfied. We're trying to keep going."

USF looks to continue its road momentum through the next two contests away from home. First, the Dons head to Long Beach State to compete against the 49ers on Sunday at 2 p.m.