VIDEO: Dons in the postseason (Behind the Mask, S. 2, Ep. 7)
STANFORD, Calif. – As seniors Zhane Dikes and Taylor Proctor left the court with a little more than a minute left in San Francisco Dons' first NCAA tournament appearance in almost two decades, the duo stopped to jointly embrace head coach Jennifer Azzi on the sideline at Maples Pavilion.

Although the 85-58 final score in favor of the Stanford Cardinal was hardly the end to a landmark season that any of them wanted, the senior duo ended one of the most successful tenures in program history on the very floor where Azzi made a name for herself as a coach — something that would've sounded surreal to many just four years ago when Dikes and Proctor arrived.

"It was very emotional, just because it's the last time playing with the team," reflected Proctor. "Coach Azzi said she loved us, and I couldn't have a better four years or a better coach. I'm so proud of this team and how far they came and I know they're going to do big things next year."

"Coming off for the last time I think it was just emotional, because this team has been the best team that I've played on out of my four years, and Coach Azzi has been one of the best coaches and mentors I've ever had in my entire life," added Dikes. "Just to give her that one last hug was extremely emotional, but she told us she loved us and she'd always have our backs and I truly believe it."

The break in the action also served as an opportunity for the seniors to salute the large contingent of USF fans that made the 37-mile trip from the Hilltop to the Farm.

USF bids farewell to one of its most prolific senior classes in program history as Proctor and Dikes close out their collegiate careers. Proctor stands in second in career rebounds (923) and third in points (1785) while point guard Dikes leaves in sixth on the all-time scoring list (1466) and as the all-time minutes leader – male or female – as well as the program leader in free throws made (441).

The Dons fought to the very last buzzer against Tara VanDerveer's disciplined and seasoned Cardinal, but were never able to truly establish the type of rhythm that helped them make their milestone run through the 2016 West Coast Conference Tournament and into the fourth NCAA tournament appearance in program history.

Although all eyes were on the seniors, junior Rachel Howard finished with team-highs of 14 points and five rebounds as well as a game-high tying three assists in the Dons' first NCAA Tournament appearance in 19 years. Sophomore forward Michaela Rakova stepped up to score eight of her 12 points in the second half as the Dons sought to lessen an 18-point halftime deficit.

Stanford's disciplined defense holding seniors Dikes and Proctor to a combined 6-for-26 shooting from the field. While leading-scorer Proctor was able to finish with 13 points, Dikes scored just six after going scoreless in the first half. With their senior leaders struggling and a team that often thrived on 3-point shooting going just 2-for-14 from beyond the arc, the Dons simply struggled to keep up.

The game began positively for the Dons, who scored the first basket of the game and heading into the second quarter down by just five, Stanford's defense held steady throughout the first half, and continued to lock down the Dons' offense throughout the game.

The typically high-scoring USF offense was thwarted by one of the nation's top defenses in the Cardinal. USF finished shooting 32.8 percent on the night while Stanford connected on 51.7 percent of its attempts from the field, and finished with an 8-of-19 effort from beyond the arc. The rebounding margin heavily favored the larger and more physical Stanford squad, as the Cardinal grabbed 49 rebounds compared to 22 for the Dons.  Stanford finished with four women reaching double-figure scoring, with Lili Thompson's 17 points on 60 percent shooting, and a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double for Erica McCall.

"Stanford is a really good team. I think they're going to go really far, really deep in the tournament," noted Azzi. "Certainly I have the utmost respect for Tara. I think she's one of the best coaches in the country. They're an incredible team.

"It wasn't a great game for us, but Stanford is just really good. I'm so proud of my two seniors, Z and Taylor. They came to USF when USF had won five games, so they took a program from that to the NCAA Tournament and I couldn't be more proud of them and of our team and our program having won our conference and getting this great opportunity to be in the tournament this year."

The Cardinal advance to play the 12th-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who upset the fifth-seeded Miami Hurricanes earlier in the day, at 6 p.m., on Monday at Maples Pavilion.