FORT WORTH, Texas – The game plan by Houston is familiar to the Dons by now. Do not let Ioanna Krimili get a good look from beyond the arc. What the Cougars failed to account for is that Amalie Langer can shoot.
 
Langer finished with a career-high 23 points and the University of San Francisco women's basketball team earned their first postseason win since March 1998 with a 71-63 win over Houston in the opening round of the WNIT.
 
USF (16-10) finished with three players in double figures led by Langer's game-high 23.  The redshirt sophomore was 8-for-16 from the field and 6-for-11 from beyond the arc.  She opened the game 4-for-4 from three helping the Dons establish a rhythm on offense.
 
Also in double figures was Lucie Hoskova with 18 and Ioanna Krimili who had 14.  Hoskova came up huge for the Dons in the second half where she scored 14 of her 18 points, she also routinely came up with a big answer when Houston scored a bucket.
 
Krimili finished the night 4-for-11 from the field, but was 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. The three made threes gives her 91 for the year and sole possession of fifth all-time in WCC single season history.  She also had four assists.  The Dons did a tremendous job sharing the ball, USF had 20 assists on 25 made field goals.
 
"Amalie played a great game!" said Goodenbour. "It was nice to see her come out and feel confident shooting the ball like she has done all year. Lucie was really good in the second half. Abby (Rathbun) brough great energy. Ioanna was really unselfish, they did a good job of taking her out of her rhythm, but she did a nice job of being active and making things happen for others.  Just a really good team win."
 
Houston (16-8) opened the contest on fire from beyond the arc. They finished with a season-high 13 made threes and were 9-for-19 in the opening half. They finished with two players in double figures and were led by Laila Blair's 19 points. Miya Crump added 12.
 
The Cougars scored the game's opening bucket on a three – the first of four in the quarter by Houston. But the Dons responded going on a 13-2 run to take an early advantage. Langer had 12 of her 23 in the opening period.
 
After shooting over 60 percent from the field in the first quarter, the Dons offense stalled going 4-for-13 from the field in the second quarter.  USF was just 2-for-6 from 3-point range. Houston countered by going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.
 
With 4:17 to play in the half, Abby Rathbun completed a traditional 3-point play to give USF a 36-26 advantage.  The 10-point lead was their largest of the contest, but it would not last. USF was held without a field goal over the remaining four minutes.  Houston took advantage of the Dons' cold stretch and went on a 13-0 run to take a 39-37 lead.  A pair of free throws by Krimili knotted up the score at 39 at the half.
 
Out of the break Hoskova scored a bucket in the paint to put the Dons back out front.  The two teams traded buckets over the course of the next five minutes eventually settling on a tie at 48-48 with 5:02 in the third.  Following the media timeout, Langer hit another three and the Dons retook the lead and never looked back.
 
USF shot 5-for-11 from the field in the fourth quarter, meanwhile Houston's offense hit a wall. The Cougars shot just 9-for-32 in the second half, in the fourth quarter they were 3-for-15, including 1-for-7 from 3-point range.
 
The Dons steadily built their lead back to 10 with 4:17 to play, but turnovers kept Houston the game.  USF turned the ball over 20 times which led to 17 points for the Cougars.  Fortunately, USF did a tremendous job on the glass, outrebounding Houston 38-31 and limited UH to just six second chance points.
 
The win for the Dons was their first postseason win since March 16, 1998 when USF defeated Duke 64-60 in Durham, N.C. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tonight was also USF's first ever win in the WNIT.
 
"It was really fun that we even got an opportunity to play in the postseason," said Goodenbour when asked what it means to have the Dons first postseason win in over 20 years. "With this young team, any chance to play more games in a tournament format is going to be really good for their development. The fact that we were able to win today, I think that speaks volumes to their preparation and their engagement. They came out, they were on they were excited to be there. It's fun to coach these guys."
 
The Dons will return to action tomorrow evening in a win or go home contest. USF will play the winner of California Baptist/New Mexico. Saturday's game will tip off at 6:00 p.m. PT. with George Devine calling the game live from courtside on the Dons' Audio Network.