SAN DIEGO – The USF women's basketball team made its West Coast Conference opener count with an 82-67 win at San Diego on Thursday evening from Jenny Craig Pavilion. Redshirt junior Kalyn Simon paced the Dons (7-5, 1-0 WCC) by shooting 9-of-11 from the field – including a pair of three-pointers – en route to a career-best 22 points.
 
Senior Rachel Howard chipped in with 20 points while dishing out four assists and junior Michaela Rakova registered her second double-double of the year – and third of her career – with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
 
"I think coach was really challenging us after our last game," said Simon, who bested her previous career high of 20 points at Fresno State earlier this year. "We didn't have the game we wanted going into the break so we tried to push ourselves mentally and physically in practice to get ready for the first conference game."
 
USF followed up one of its coldest shooting performances last time out in a loss to UC Davis by connecting at a season-best 56.7 percent (34-60) against a San Diego team that had won two of its last three coming into the conference opener. The Dons shot a blistering 64.5 percent in the first half.  
 
"I think we were really sharing the ball, which led us to have a higher percentage because we were getting our teammates open – one extra pass, passing up a good shot for a great shot," added Simon.
 
Anna Seilund (10 points, game-high five assists) and Nia Alexander (13 points) were the other Dons in double figures on the night.
 
USF actually trailed 27-21 at the end of the first quarter but responded by holding San Diego (6-5, 0-1 WCC) to just five points in the second period as the Dons outscored the Toreros 24-5 in the frame. Rakova's jumper early in the second quarter sparked an 11-0 USF run that was piggybacked by a 7-1 spurt over the final four minutes of the half which gave the Dons a 45-32 lead heading into halftime.
 
From there, the Dons were able to keep the Toreros at bay, never letting their lead dip below 10 points for the remainder of the contest. The closest USD came was with Tayla Hepburn's jumper with 5:45 left in the third quarter that cut the USF lead to 51-41.
 
The victory marked the Dons' first win to start conference play since the 2007-08 season when USF defeated San Diego 80-62 at home in the WCC opener.
 
The Dons return home to host Santa Clara on Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. tip from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.