LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team made it four wins in a row and led for over 39 minutes thanks to a record setting performance by Ioanna Krimili from 3-point range.  The Dons' redshirt freshman hit a USF single-game record nine 3-point field goals as USF defeated Loyola Marymount 84-66 at Gersten Pavilion on Saturday.
 
"Our group exceeded my expectations on this trip," said head coach Molly Goodenbour following the Dons win over the Lions. "I am really, really happy with how these guys are playing right now. They were excited to get out there and compete and get the win and I'm excited to coach them right now.  They are playing with a lot of confidence, having a lot of run on the floor, and doing a really good job."
 
USF (9-8, 5-6 WCC) has won four in a row in WCC play for the first time since February 2017. They did it today with another all-around strong shooting performance.  USF finished the afternoon connecting on 54.9 percent of their attempts from the field (28-51) and 46.4 percent from beyond the arc (13-28). 
 
A big reason for the Dons' strong shooting performance was due to the play of Krimili who was 10-for-15 from the field and 9-for-14 from beyond the arc for a game-high 29 points.  Her eighth 20-point game of the season and 10^th of her career.  The nine 3-point field goals set a USF single-game record for threes in a game and ties a West Coast Conference record for threes made in a game in a WCC contest.
 
Krimili was not the only reason for the dons 18-point road win.  USF finished the day with four players in double figures. Joining Krimili was Amalie Langer with 17, Lucie Hoskova with 13, and Abby Rathbun with 12.  Lucija Kostic had another impactful game without scoring, she finished with nine rebounds and six assists. 
 
"We had four kids in double figures, Ioanna's shooting has been tremendous the last four games, giving us a huge offensive boost," said Goodenbour on the Dons offensive display. "But today's win was more than just her shooting. We are sharing the ball really well. Today we had 17 assists on our 28 baskets, we defended really well. I think we are doing a lot of good things as a team. The kids should feel really, really good about themselves coming off this trip."
 
Loyola Marymount (5-9, 4-5 WCC) also had a strong shooting day, connecting on 41.9 percent of their attempts and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.  They just could not keep up with Dons. Three players finished in double figures for LMU, led by Chelsey Gipson's 16. Cassandra Gordon and Ariel Johnson had 10 each.
 
The contest opened with the Dons hot from the start.  Krimili and Langer combined to make three 3-point field goals to set the tone early. Then the two sides traded buckets with the Lions tying the game up at 15-15 with 3:21 in the first.  Hoskova answered with a tripe of her own and the Dons never looked back. In the second quarter Krimili could not miss.  She was 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from beyond the arc giving her 20 points for the half. USF went into the locker leading 47-39.
 
In the third quarter, the Lions held Krimili scoreless and made the contest interesting. After the Dons increased their lead to 15, LMU went on an 8-0 run that was capped off by a pair of free throws from Gipson that cut the deficit to seven.  That was as close as the Lions would get.  Hoskova once again answered with a layup in traffic and the Dons went on a run, increasing their lead to as much as 20 with under minute to play in the contest.
 
The Dons return to the friendly confines of War Memorial at the Sobrato Center next Thursday when they host Saint Mary's at 6:00 p.m. Thursday's game against the Gaels will be streamed live on the WCC Network with George Devine handling the play-by-play duties.