STOCKTON, Calif. — Everybody gets a second chance.
 
Thursday at Alex G. Spanos Center, University of San Francisco sophomore Kia Vaalavirta got another turn at the free-throw line late in the game to try and clinch it for the Dons.
 
A week ago to the day, Vaalavirta went to the line with 24 seconds left against San Diego in a tie game and missed both, eventually leading to a game-winning 3-pointer and a victory for the Toreros.
 
Seven days later, with momentum trying its hardest to swing towards host Pacific in a one-point game following a Tigers hoop-and-the-harm three-point play, Vaalavirta buried both of her free throws to put San Francisco's lead back at three.
 
It was part of a 10-for-10 performance from the charity stripe by Vaalavirta and three others in the game's final 47 seconds which powered the Dons to a come-from-behind, 67-61, West Coast Conference triumph on the road.
 
"That's the great thing about sports," said San Francisco head coach Molly Goodenbour. "She had that opportunity against San Diego, didn't make the free throws, two games later you're back in basically the same position again. Y'know, you have to think to yourself going to the line, 'Oh boy, it's a lot of pressure.' She stepped up and made them and then did it again – four free throws in a row."
 
Vaalavirta's staunch showing at the line late – she'd make two more free throws with 20 seconds on the clock – was part of the Dons' 26-point fourth-quarter surge that helped them erase a seven-point deficit, reversing it to win by seven and beat Pacific for the first time in two years.
 
"(Dolapo Balogun) was telling me, 'You're gonna make it, you're gonna make it,'" said Vaalavirta. "I feel like I didn't really hit shots in the game, and then I got to the free-throw line and I was like, OK well, we shoot free throws everyday so it's an easy shot, but under pressure they're important shots. It's always a good opportunity, it's fun."
 
Balogun made one of several big shots for the Dons (11-18, 4-13 WCC) in the fourth quarter. It was her 3-pointer from the right wing with four minutes to play that tied it at 53-53. She also helped ice the Dons' victory with back-to-back free-throws with 17 seconds left, the Dons' final two points of the game.
 
"In the huddle, Molly was just like, 'You gotta hit your 3-point shot.' She looked at me like, 'Just knock it down,'" said Balogun. "OK, easier said than done, but I thought to myself I just have to dig deep and whatever my team needs from me right now is just what I have to do."
 
The fourth-quarter comeback was made even more impressive with all the foul trouble the Dons were facing. Balogun, Mikayla Williams, Abby Rathbun and Leilah Vigil all either entered the quarter with four fouls or picked up their fourth during the final period. Vigil – who logged her WCC-leading 13th double-double with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds – fouled out with 35 seconds left. That's what brought Vaalavirta onto the court and led to her redeeming chance at the free-throw line.
 
"Just add one more thing to the list," said Goodenbour. "I've put it all back on them. It is what it is. We are who we are and we have the numbers that we have, and we're either going to be able to get it done or we're not going to be able to get it done, and we can't worry about situations we get into, whether it's fouls or whether it's somebody not having a good night or whatever.
 
"We are who we are and you're either going to find a way to overcome that and do what you're capable of doing and win a game, or we're not. At this point of the year, that's all on them, and to their credit they've taken 100% ownership of that."
 
San Francisco started the fourth on a 9-3 run that made it only a one-point game at 51-50, capped by Lucie Hoskova's 3-pointer from the left side. Brooklyn McDavid's second-chance layup put the Tigers' (15-13, 8-9 WCC) back up by three, but that's when Balogun tied things with her trey, and it was a brand-new ballgame.
 
"We had to just play smart, especially because everyone had four fouls and make sure we're boxing out, limiting them to one shot," said Balogun. "So I was really trying to harp on our team to just be focused in those last couple of minutes because everything was critical, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates, and I give them all the credit."
 
Thursday was San Francisco's second win in a row after its thrilling buzzer-beating win over BYU on Saturday. The Dons are 4-4 in their last eight after going 0-9 during the WCC's first half, as the remaining healthy players on an injury depleted roster begin to get more and more comfortable in the roles they've had to take on this season.
 
"I think (the BYU win) and just the culmination of everything that it's taken to get us to this point in the year, I don't think they've ever stopped doubting that we're capable. It's just being able to demonstrate that and getting over the hump on Saturday against a really good team certainly had to give them some confidence," said Goodenbour.
 
It was a roller coaster of a game for the Dons, who shot 63.6% in the first quarter and 46.7% in the fourth, but only made eight total field goals while shooting 27.6% across the second and third quarters.
 
"I thought we were still pretty emotionally exhausted and physically exhausted coming into this game," said Goodenbour. :I didn't know if we had the energy level and the 'oomf,' really, to get it done, and they really stepped up in the fourth quarter.
 
"I'm really, really proud of them. They made all their free throws, they made big shots, they got big stops, y'know, they just never cease to kind of surprise me with their well of energy; finding energy to get it done."
 
San Francisco concludes the regular season at Saint Mary's at 2 p.m. Saturday. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.