SAN FRANCISCO – USF was in cruise control through the first half until the visiting Seattle Redhawks mounted a furious second half comeback, but the Dons were able to fend off the surge to claim a 73-59 victory on Tuesday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
Senior guard
Rachel Howard led the way for USF (2-0) with a career-high 30 points on 10 of 16 shooting that included seven assists, also a career-best.
Anna Seilund added 11 points and grabbed six rebounds on the night.
Howard not only keyed the Dons' initial opening spurt, but she helped rally the team through a slower second half that saw the Dons relinquish much of their game-high 23 point lead before closing it out.
"I thought we didn't do a great job in the third quarter of moving the ball around," said head coach
Molly Goodenbour. "But Rachel is so tough being able to create her own shot. She was really big; she led like a senior."
USF's quick start was spearheaded by Howard, who dished out four assists in the first quarter, seemingly finding an open teammate on every trip down the court through the first five minutes. USF opened up a 10-4 lead when Howard setup
Michaela Rakova for an easy layup before coming down and knocking down a three from the top of the arc on the next possession.
Freshman
Nia Alexander gave USF its biggest lead of the quarter with her jumper at the 2:50 mark that put the Dons up 18-6 before Howard's jumper from the wing with 51 seconds remaining helped USF close out the first quarter with a 20-8 lead.
Seattle (0-1) came out in the second quarter with a quick 8-2 run aided by three USF turnovers within the first three minutes that helped the Redhawks cut the lead to 22-16 with a layup by Kaylee Best, who served as Seattle's offensive catalyst on the night with 29 points.
But that was as close as Seattle would get in the half as
Anna Seilund used a nice crossover in the paint to find an easy layup, leading into the Dons' 41-25 advantage at the intermission.
The momentum started to shift in the third quarter as Best came out firing, connecting for three 3-pointers to help breath new life into Seattle. Meanwhile, USF struggled to find its groove, shooting just 33 percent from the field in the third frame. USF ended the quarter in a scoreless drought over the final two and a half minutes as Seattle cut the Dons' lead to 56-44.
Best again helped rally her team with her fifth 3-pointer of the night with 5:43 remaining in the game that brought Seattle within four, capping off an 8-0 Redhawks run.
However, Rakova would find
Alicia Roufosse for a layup on the ensuing USF possession that sparked a decisive 13-5 run for the Dons that helped them put an end to Seattle's comeback bid.
"Our first two games we got out to a really good start, moving the ball, finding the open players, finishing shots, but as the game wears on we're not making as many adjustments as we need to make," Goodenbour said. "We're still learning our roles and two games into the season we're trying to work our way through some of the challenges."
The Dons head north for their first road game of the season at Washington State on Friday with tipoff slated for 7 p.m.
Post-game comments from head coach
Molly Goodenbour:
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