PORTLAND, Ore. -- The USF Dons women's basketball team (6-9, 0-3) fought hard for 40 minutes in a close affair that the Portland Pilots (11-3, 1-1) won on their home floor Thursday evening 65-60 in the Pacific Northwest.

The Dons worked hard to manage the Pilots' offensive attack by forcing turnovers and working hard on the glass. Claudia Langarita led both teams by scoring 18 points making her third consecutive start of the conference season, while Ioanna Krimili scored 13 points after missing the previous two games. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Both teams got off to slow offensive starts as each defense was on their games early on as the Pilots led by a point after the first 10 minutes.
• USF got to work in the second quarter building a 10-point and forcing nine Portland turnovers and taking an eight point advantage into the halftime break.
• The Dons weathered an early second-half run by the Pilots to cut the deficit to a single point, before a 9-0 USF run put them back in the driver's seat and a nine point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
• Portand took control of the game in the final quarter as they left the court with the five-point victory.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Langarita continued her impressive run in WCC play as she scored 18 points and collected five rebounds for USF on Thursday night. She also forced three steals against the Pilots.
• Krimili scored 13 in her return to the court to go along with five rebounds and two assists.
• Jasmine Gayles scored 12 points off the bench while also forcing three steals with a tenacious defensive effort throughout the game.
• Kennedy Dickie had a strong performance as well in Portland as she scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds. 

UP NEXT:
USF will now turn their attention to the Santa Clara Broncos (7-4, 1-0) for the first of back-to-back meetings between the two schools Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the South Bay. The Broncos opened their WCC schedule with a 74-64 victory over Pepperdine on Thursday evening.

TICKETS AND MERCHANDISE:
Single-game tickets for West Coast Conference basketball games are currently on sale at www.usfdons.com/tickets. 

Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at www.usfdons.com/shop.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.