SPOKANE, Wash. — The San Francisco women's basketball team pushed the No. 18/17-ranked team in the nation in both the first and second halves Thursday, but host Gonzaga was able to come from behind or pull away with runs each and every time, eventually winning, 78-51, in a West Coast Conference contest at the McCarthy Athletic Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a cold start, Gonzaga found its rhythm and took off. The Bulldogs started the game by shooting just 2 for 7 and turning the ball over three times. They responded by shooting 10 for 15 for the next quarter and a half. A 7-2 run tied the game at 11-11 at the end of the first, and an overall 15-5 run gave them a five-point, 21-16 lead midway through the second that they would never surrender.
   
• The Dons forced Gonzaga into that tough start, holding the Bulldogs to just 28.6 percent shooting out of the gate and three turnovers. Meanwhile, USF raced out to a 9-4 lead thanks to points from five different players. Native Washingtonian Abby Rathbun completed a three-point play with a basket and a free throw to give the Dons that five-point advantage at the 4 minutes, 34 seconds mark.
   
• San Francisco continued to compete in the second half, twice pulling to within five or six points of Gonzaga in the third quarter after trailing by 11 (31-20) at halftime. But every time the Dons did, the Bulldogs answered with consecutive buckets and runs.
   
• Marta Galic's first 3-pointer of the game made it a six-point game at 33-27 just two minutes into the third, but Gonzaga answered with three straight baskets and a 6-2 run to turn it back into a 10-point advantage at 39-29. Later in the quarter, a Shannon Powell trey made it a five-point contest at 42-37. But again, the Bulldogs answered with a 10-0 run to go up by 15 at 52-37.
   
• Gonzaga shot 75 percent (12 for 16) with two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter alone to seal the victory. Three different Bulldogs reached double figures, led by Zykera Rice's 15 points. The Bulldogs also outrebounded the Dons, 37-28, though USF owned the offensive glass, 9-6.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 10: Powell led the Dons with 10 points. It was her 13th straight game with double digit points, and her 18th in 19 games this season.
• 13: San Francisco had just 13 turnovers, which was their least amount of giveaways since Dec. 15 versus UC Davis (a stretch of 10 games). Gonzaga also had 13 turnovers.
• 59.3: Gonzaga shot 59.3 percent in the game – the highest percentage by an opponent allowed by USF this season. After starting the game 2 for 7, the Bulldogs went 30 for 47 from the floor.

COMING UP

• The Dons wrap up the first half of WCC play on Saturday at Portland with a 2 p.m. tipoff. The Dons then return to the Bay Area next month to face Santa Clara in the South Bay on Feb. 2.