THE RUNDOWN
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team defeated Robert Morris University, 57-45, in game one of the #ShareSLO Holiday Classic hosted by Cal Poly.
 
The Dons got a quick jump on the east coast visitors, starting off with a Michaela Rakova three-pointer to spark a 14-2 opening run. RMU would close out the first frame on a 6-0 run, but still trail USF, 14-8.
 
The second period was much more closely contested with USF barely outscoring the warmed-up Colonials, 17-14. RMU came within seven, the Dons were able to stretch the lead back to 10 with 1:30 to go before the half on a 5-0 run. They headed into the locker room with a 31-22 advantage.
 
USF got hot in the third, especially beyond the perimeter. The Dons hit four consecutive triples to put them ahead by double digits, 49-31. Although the Colonials came out in the final frame on a 6-0 spree to close the gap to eight, they could not makeup the deficit from USF's strong third quarter.
 
The Dons finished it out, 57-45, for their first road win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

• Rakova led with a season-high 15 points, eight rebounds, a season-high three blocks, one assist and one steal.
• Rakova shot 50.0 percent (5-for-10) and 100 percent  (4-for-4) from the line.
• Anna Seilund registered 12 points, all in the second half.
• Seilund also recorded eight assists, tying her season-high, and adding to the Dons 17 total assists.
• As a team, the Dons pulled in 41 rebounds to the Colonials' 30. The boards resulted in 12 second-chance points.
• USF recorded a season-high 87.5 free-throw percentage, going 7-for-8.
• Coach Goodenbour's squad shot 60 percent from the field and 100 percent from three-point range in the third quarter.
• The Dons recorded a season-high seven blocks.
• With the win over RMU, the Dons captured their first road victory.

 
IT'S ALL GOODenbour
On Rakova's performance:
"Michaela did a good job defending Megan Smith, one of their top scorers – she didn't get very many clean looks when Michaela was on her. I thought she made a more conscientious effort to rebound and we definitely need her to do those two things. She knocked down shots and had a good all-around game."
 
On the look of the team:
"We were a little out of sync on offense, but I thought we tried better in this game to not let the offense grind to a halt after the initial action. We practiced that this week. I didn't think we took advantage enough times, too many missed opportunities. But overall pleased to get a win on the road. I also thought Kalyn Simon did great job defensively on Megan Callahan."
 
On looking forward:
"I hope that we are able to assimilate some better habits into our play during games. Passing and cutting are really important and we need to keep working on those things. We have to play more efficiently. I'm looking forward to a challenging rematch versus Cal Poly tomorrow."
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Dons return to Mott Athletics Center to play the host, Cal Poly, in a rematch of their season opener. USF got the best of the Mustangs in the Bay Area, capturing an 83-71 win. They will try to give the hosts their second loss on the weekend and finish out the #ShareSLO Holiday Classic on a high note. 
 
Follow along tomorrow on Twitter. Tip is set for noon PT.