SAN FRANCISCO – A 32-point second quarter was the difference as the University of San Francisco women's basketball team defeated visiting Saint Mary's 78-51 on Thursday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
USF (10-8, 6-6 WCC) extends its winning streak to five games, and completes the season sweep over the Gaels for the first time since the 1995-96 season. Four players finished the night in double figures for USF who did a tremendous job moving the ball around. The Dons finished with 17 assists on their 32 made field goals.
 
Ioanna Krimili once again led the Dons with a game-high 26 points.  Krimili was 9-for-15 from the field and 6-for-10 from 3-point range.  The six 3-point field goals give her 64 for the season and sole possession of fifth place for threes in a single season at USF.  She trails Rachel Howard by three for fourth place.
 
Also in double figures for the Dons was Marta Galic who had 13 off the bench, Lucie Hoskova added 12, and Amalie Langer chipped in 10. The Dons finished the night shooting 53.3 percent from the field going 32-for-60 from the floor.  From beyond the arc USF shot 52.4 percent going 11-for-21.
 
"We came out a little cold tonight," said head coach Molly Goodenbour. "But once we started sharing the ball and playing better defense our offense came around.  It was fun to get a home win, fun to get everybody in the game.  Ioanna continues to shoot the ball really well, Lucija is passing the ball really well.  It was another great came for our confidence, everyone contributed. It was a great game to beat out rivals."
 
Saint Mary's (5-13, 3-9 WCC) scored 29 of their 51 points after the intermission, overcoming a quiet first half.  The Gaels shot 38.9 percent for the contest but were just 2-for-12 from 3-point range. Turnovers also proved costly for the Gaels, who turned it over 17 times leading to 18 points for the Dons.
 
SMC had two players in double figures and was led by Ellie Croco's 14 points, she finished 5-for-8 from the field and was 1-for-1 from 3-point range.  Madeline Holland finished with 12 points. 
 
Early in the first quarter both teams struggled to get into a rhythm offensively. The first quarter ended with the Dons clinging to a 12-8 lead. 
 
In the second quarter, USF's offense came to life.  With the Dons out front 14-12, Krimili hit a triple which ignited the offense and sparked  a 10-0 run. The Dons never looked back. USF led by as much as 27 points midway through the third quarter and led for over 35 minutes. 
 
Tonight, marks the fifth time USF has shot better than 50.0 percent from the field, they are now 5-0 when they reach that barrier. The 32 points scored in the second quarter is the second most points scored in a quarter, and only the sixth time they have scored 30 or more in a quarter.
 
The Dons will return to action on Saturday when they host the Pacific Tigers.  Saturday's game will tip off at 2:00 p.m. and will be streamed on the WCC Network. George Devine will have the call live from inside War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.