MORAGA, Calif. – A back and forth affair that featured 15 lead changes and 10 ties went the way of Saint Mary's as the Gaels topped USF 75-72 in West Coast Conference action on Saturday afternoon at McKeon Pavilion. The Gaels took advantage of a USF technical foul in the final seconds to take the lead and cap off a four-point swing that saw the Dons relinquish a one-point lead with 1:30 to play.   
 
Redshirt junior Kalyn Simon led the Dons with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting - including 4-of-6 from the perimeter - in her return after missing Thursday's matchup at Gonzaga due to injury. Michaela Rakova fouled out in the fourth quarter with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Nia Alexander tallied 12 points and three rebounds off the bench.
 
It seemed like each team took turns answering one another's scoring spurts and droughts. The game got out to a fast start as the two teams scored a combined 51 points in the first frame. USF (8-7, 2-2 WCC) made nine shots in a row at the tail end of the first quarter to help the Dons take a 26-25 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Dons were hot, shooting 51.7 percent (15-29) in the first half, but Saint Mary's (7-8, 2-2 WCC) matched their effort by controlling the paint, where the Gaels held a 44-22 advantage on the day. Saint Mary's went just 1-of-6 from three-point range, while the Dons hoisted up 22 attempts from deep, connecting on nine of them (40.9 percent).  
 
Midway through the second quarter things slowed down a bit as both teams traded turnovers, while USF went scoreless for almost three minutes until Simon knocked down a three with just over two minutes to go. While USF endured its scoring drought, SMC went on a 6-0 run that put the Gaels ahead 38-37, but SMC finished the half on an 0-for-6 slide that was countered by an 8-0 run for USF that gave the Dons a 42-38 edge heading into halftime.  
 
USF enjoyed an 8-0 run early in the third quarter when Rakova and Alexander knocked down consecutive threes, followed by another Simon jumper, that put USF up 52-42, giving USF its largest lead of the contest. SMC answered with a 10-0 run to close out the third quarter, highlighted by Turner's buzzer-beating three as the third quarter clock expired.
 
With SMC holding onto a 56-54 lead to start the fourth quarter, Alexander quickly tied it with a jumper that sparked a 7-0 USF spurt that just as suddenly gave way to a four-minute stretch without a USF field goal until Anna Seilund's three-point play with 3:37 to go, making it 67-63 in favor of USF. The Dons fended off Saint Mary's until the Gaels' Shannon Mauldin stole a USF inbounds with 1:47 on the clock and laid it in to give SMC its first lead since the end of the third quarter at 70-69. But Simon came to the rescue and answered with a three on the other end that gave USF what would amount to its final lead at 72-71 with 1:30 to play.
 
SMC's Megan McKay, who was one of two Gaels who recorded a double-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds, went to the line and made one of two free throws to knot the game at 70-70 with 39 seconds to play. After a missed jumper by Alexander, head coach Molly Goodenbour was whistled for a technical foul with 11 seconds on the clock. Carly Turner hit both of the ensuing free throws to give SMC a 74-72 advantage. Turner knocked down one more free throw before Rachel Howard's last-second three-point attempt was blocked as time expired.
 
Turner led all scorers with 25 points on the day, while adding 10 rebounds.
 
USF outshot Saint Mary's by a 45.6 to 36.8 percent margin, but the Gaels held a 14-2 advantage in second chance opportunities that came as a result of their 46-34 edge in rebounds, including a 21-7 difference on the offensive glass.
 
Saint Mary's went 24-of-34 from the free throw line, compared to the Dons' 11-for-14.
 
The Dons return to action next Thursday when they host BYU at 7 p.m. at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Individual game tickets for all USF home games this season are available on line at USFDons.com or by calling (415) 422-2USF. General admission tickets are available for as low as $10. All USFCA faculty, staff and students with a valid ID, and youth 12 and under enter free.