LOS ANGELES, Calif. – With her team trailing by 10 with just under nine minutes left in the game, senior guard Rachel Howard took it upon herself to help spark a rally by scoring 13 points and going 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final period to lead the USF women's basketball team to a 79-72 win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday afternoon at Gersten Pavilion.
 
Howard overcame a slow start and led all scorers with 22 points on the day, despite shooting just 4-of-13 from the field. She made up for it by converting 13-of-14 free throw tries and knocking down a pivotal step back three with 33 seconds left that put the Dons up 70-68, giving them their first lead since the 2:31 mark of the second quarter and the momentum that would carry them to the victory.
 
"Something Molly has been talking about all season is making sure we have leadership in the fourth quarter so we all stay together, and I think everyone was on the same page on the floor," Howard said. "I think after the first half I was just in an attack mode mindset looking to try to get to the rim and just got a lot of fouls out of it."
 
USF (13-10, 7-5 WCC) snapped LMU's four-game winning streak, but more importantly, rebounded from a 22-point defeat at Pepperdine on Thursday night to remain in the thick of the WCC race down the stretch.
 
"Obviously we wanted an L.A. sweep," Howard added, "but I think it's even more of a testament to our character to bounce back and get this win against a team that's really been hot."
 
Junior Michaela Rakova posted her fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Kalyn Simon (11) and Anna Seilund (10) rounded out the Dons in double figures. Seilund pitched in with a game-high seven assists. 
 
The Dons assisted on their first seven field goals of the game as both sides came out of the gates hot. Rakova had nine points in a productive first quarter for USF that saw the Dons shoot almost 53 percent from the field. LMU rallied back over the final four minutes of the quarter by making six of their last eight field goal attempts to take a 25-23 lead at the end of the opening period.
 
The Dons went over three minutes without a field goal midway through the second quarter, allowing LMU to use a 6-0 run to take a 35-28 lead. The Dons bounced back with an 10-0 run of their own, retaking the lead on Rakova's jumper from the top of the key that put USF up 37-36 with just over two minutes remaining before the half ended with a 39-39 tie.  
 
LMU (11-12, 6-6 WCC) opened the second half with five quick points before USF head coach Molly Goodenbour asked for a timeout to help stem the tide. LMU took advantage of a three-minute scoring drought by the Dons to extend its lead to 51-41 with four minutes remaining in the quarter. Howard went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe over the final four minutes of the quarter to help the Dons cut into the LMU lead, but the Lions carried a 57-51 advantage into the fourth quarter.
 
The Lions climbed out to a game-high 10-point advantage on Raychel Stanley's jumper with 8:49 to play. USF proceeded to go on an 10-0 run to tie the game for the first time since the end of the first half when Rakova hit two free throws with 4:28 to go. After a quiet stretch for both sides, LMU eventually regained the lead on a three by Leslie Lopez-Wood with just under two minutes on the clock. That lead would last until Howard nailed the go-ahead three.
 
Jackie Johnson went 9-for-14 from the field for LMU in leading the Lions with 21 points and seven rebounds. Andee Velasco added 15 points and Stanley had 11.
 
The Dons return to the Bay Area to take on Santa Clara at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, followed by their final road game of the year at BYU on Saturday at 1 p.m.