University of San Francisco Athletics

No coach in USF women's basketball program history has had as successful of a start on the Hilltop as head coach Molly Goodenbour. She has the best record of any previous Dons coach through 50 games, 27-23 (.540), and through two seasons, 34-28 (.548). She is one of two coaches of USF women's basketball to have a winning record through the first two campaigns. Not only are her results indicative of her coaching expertise, but her team's reputation and her individual player's accolades are as well. 
 
In her two years with San Francisco, it has become well known throughout the West Coast Conference that Coach Goodenbour is tough and demands toughness from those who are on her roster. This year the Dons have cemented their reputation for having grit and playing with an intense tenacity. Even with a small rotation of just eight players, the Dons often outworked and outran their opponents. They consistently led the WCC in rebounding and 3-point field goals, having one of the best guards and one of the best post players in the conference in Anna Seilund and Michaela Rakova, respectively. 
 
In the 2017-18 campaign, the women had winning records of 16-15 overall and 10-8 in conference play. This season marked the first time since the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons that the program has had back-to-back winning records in conference play. Last year, Coach Goodenbour led USF to an 18-13 overall record and 11-7 WCC record. 
 
Notable wins this year included the season-opening romp over Cal Poly; the redemption match against BYU at home; the senior night sweep over Pacific; the final regular-season contest, a win against San Diego; and the WCC Championships first-round win over LMU. The victory against BYU was one of the Dons' two double-overtime games on the year – the first time in Dons history that two such games have happened in a single season.
 
Although the Dons were eliminated in the WCC Championships by Gonzaga in the second round for the second consecutive year, the game had a much different feel from last year. It wasn't until the third quarter that the Bulldogs were able to create space from the Dons who kept it very close throughout the first half. They finished with a difference of 12 points in the loss compared to last year's 31-point deficit.
 
As a team and as individuals, the 2017-18 squad showed their spirit and determination through the numbers. The group, which again only consisted of an eight-woman rotation, goes down in the record books as tied for second in 3-point field goals made (214), third in total rebounds (1,261) and fourth in assists (478). They also tied a WCC record in the first round against LMU with 14 3-point field goals.
 
At the conclusion of all conference and tournament play, the Dons finished 25^th in the nation in defensive rebounds (28.0 per game). In the WCC, they were tops in rebounds per game (40.68), defensive rebounds per game (28.0), 3-point field goals attempted (660), 3-point field goals made (214), and 3-point field goals per game (6.9).
 
Individually, the Dons were equally as successful. To start, all three seniors were awarded all conference honors, highlighted by Seilund's first team selection. The same three seniors were also each named to the WCC All-Academic teams. They each contributed double-digit scoring, lead by Seilund (15.1).
 
Seilund, a senior guard from Copenhagen, Denmark, quickly moved up the Dons record books in her final season. She now ranks second in career 3-point field goals made (193), fifth in career assists (408), tied for fifth in 3-point field goals made in a season (60), and second in 3-point field goal attempts in a season (176). She had two 30-plus point outings, including a 36-point career-high performance which has been done one time and is the fourth most points scored in a single game in Dons history. Seilund was second in assists (156) and assists per game (5.0) in the conference.
 
Rakova, a senior from Bratislava, Slovakia, put in work down in the post. She averaged a double-double this year, contributing 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. She is charted as ninth in career blocked shots (78) and 10^th in career rebounds (680) in USF history. She had two 20-20 outings this season, including one contest where she pulled down 23 rebounds. The feat has been down three times in Dons history and is the second most rebounds in a single USF game. Rakova led the WCC in double-doubles, finishing the year with 13. She also led the conference in total rebounds (310), rebounds per game (10.0), and defensive rebounds per game (7.0). Her seven defensive rebounds per game ranked her 21^st in the nation.
 
Kalyn Simon, a senior guard from San Jose, Calif., was another upper classmen leader this year. She had both the highest field-goal percentage on the team (with over 100 shots), knocking down 36.8 percent of her shots, and the highest cumulative GPA on the team, with a 3.96 mark. She contributed 10.1 points per game.
 
Outside of the seniors, Shannon Powell was a consistent starter and scorer for the Dons who also finished scoring 10-plus points per game (12.2). The junior from El Paso, Texas will be the highest scoring returner for the 2018-19 campaign.  
 
Moa Lundqvist, a sophomore from Sweden, was also in the starting five and another staple down low for the Dons. In her first year on the Hilltop, she averaged 5.6 points per game and 7.1 rebounds. She was 11^th in the conference for rebounds per game.
 
Veronica Preciado, a guard from Sacramento, Calif., was always reliable for bursts of energy. She was the sixth man this year, but will be expected to be a bigger contributor next year. She averaged 5.2 points off the bench in her 29 games in action.  
 
Coach Goodenbour will have high standards for these three returners next year, who will be expected to fill the gap for the trio of seniors who led the team in scoring.
 
Also returning will be Anna Pierce (current sophomore), Bec Black (current freshman), Nia Alexander (current sophomore), Alicia Roufosse (current redshirt junior), and Ninni Salmi (current redshirt sophomore). Of those, Pierce and Salmi were the only ones that saw consistent action this season. Pierce and Salmi each averaged 3.8 points per game off the bench. Black and Alexander were sidelined with injuries and Roufosse redshirted. 
 
The returners will be expected to lead a very young team that will have six new additions (five of which are international players). Take a glance at next year's incomers (first five signees and Amalie Langer).
 
The 2018-19 schedule is taking shape and will feature pre-season opponents Stanford, Washington State, and Idaho. Of those, there are one Sweet-16 team (Stanford) and one WNIT team (Idaho). San Jose State, Cal Poly, Northern Colorado, UT-Arlington, and Sacramento State will also be included in preseason match ups.
 
Prices for the three different levels (general admission, baseline and courtside seats) will remain the same for next year's season. Season tickets start at $50 for the entire slate of competitions, including preseason and regular season. Purchase here now. Fans planning to return to the  Hilltop can renew now by logging onto their Neulion account.
 
New season ticket orders are also being taken at this time. Fans can order online, by phone 415-422-2873 or by contacting Tommy Heppler at theppler@usfca.edu.