Video highlights
SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco women's basketball team honored their seniors from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center, and in return the dynamic duo helped lead the Dons to the 81-71 victory over Pacific on Thursday night.

With the victory, USF improves to 18-10 on the season, and 9-8 in West Coast Conference play. The Dons clinch at least the sixth seed in next week's WCC Championship tournament, with the potential to move to the No. 5 slot on the last day of the regular season.

Seniors Zhane Dikes and Taylor Proctor led the way in their final game on the Hilltop, but they couldn't have pulled off the win on Senior Night without the contributions of their younger teammates.
 
"They're the future of our program and they work hard every day in practice," Proctor said of her teammates. "They are leaders out there, just like we are. They definitely took on the role of showing how the younger ones need to be. I love them, and it's going to be hard to leave them."
 
Dikes led all scorers with a game-high 22 points while Proctor finished with her eighth double-double of the season and 24th of her career, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with four assists. But having four players score in double figures and outscoring the Tigers 40-32 in the paint was the key to victory.
 
Rachel Howard came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of her 15 points in the final 10 minutes of action mixing it up from three, driving to the basket, and connecting from the free throw line — a fitting representation of how the Dons were able to keep the Tigers off-balance throughout the game. Claudia Price finished with 13 points on an effective 6-of-8 shooting effort from the floor and nine rebounds, nearly nabbing the double-double. Anna Seilund added to the boost Howard gave the Dons in the fourth, scoring all seven of her points in the final period.
 
The Dons mounted their largest lead of the game in the third quarter, building an 11-point advantage while enjoying an 8-for-16 shooting effort from the floor, as compared to Pacific's 5-of-14 quarter. Price scored seven of her baker's dozen in the third as USF began to take advantage of a size mismatch in the post. Meanwhile, the Dons defense forced seven turnovers in the third that led to eight USF points, while Pacific couldn't muster a score on the five miscues they forced in the period.
 
A second quarter run led by senior leaders Dikes and Proctor helped USF mount a four point lead at the break. After the first half, Dikes led all players with 15 points to her name, shooting 6-of-7 in the pivotal second quarter. Proctor continued her impressive season as a passer, complementing Dikes with three of her four assists coming in the second quarter. The Dons were able to turn their defense into offense in the second quarter as well, scoring eight points off the Tigers' six turnovers in the frame.
 
The game did not start in USF's favor, however, as the Dons lagged behind in the early-goings of the action. USF trailed by five points after Najah Queenland's jumper capped a run of nine unanswered to give the Tigers the 26-21 lead with six ticks remaining in the first quarter. The Dons worked to get back on the high side with effective defense and aggressive offense. Proctor's driving layup closed the gap to one with 7:24 to play in the second, and a string of six points in 34 seconds gave USF the lead for good.
 
First, Alicia Roufosse found Proctor in the paint to knot the score at 31-all. Dikes hit the rim-rattling jumper moments later to give the Dons the advantage. With 5:26 remaining in the half, Proctor's long outlet pass to a streaking Dikes put USF up 35-31, and the Tigers had to play catch up for the remainder of the contest.
 
Queenland led the quartet of Pacific double-digit scorers with 17 points in the game, and Mauriana Clayton added 15 points on 50 percent shooting for the visitors. But in the end, USF's foursome proved to be the victors, sending the senior duo out in style.
 
"We started the game with tears in our eyes – not just sadness, but tears of joy," reflected Dikes after the Senior Night win. "I couldn't have had a better person to share this amazing career with, and for both Taylor and me to be playing so well to end our last home game here, it's a great feeling.

"This is what we came here for. We came here to build a program. We really came here, started below the ground, and we worked as hard as we could and listened to Coach Azzi. She always said you had to work, work, work, and I think through the year's we've really worked our tails off and really helped build this program."

The Dons are guaranteed to finish with back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in nearly two decades, and USF is chasing its first 20-win season since 1996-97 – the last time the Dons found themselves in the NCAA Tournament field.
 
USF closes the regular season slate with a road contest at Saint Mary's. The Dons and the Gaels tip from Moraga at 1 p.m.