SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Returning to the court for the second time in the opening week of play, the USF Dons women's basketball team (1-1) dropped a tight, hard fought defensive struggle to the Washington State Cougars (2-0) 69-63 Friday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. 

In a rematch of last season's close battle, the Dons didn't back down from a talented and tall Cougars team as they went into the locker room leading after a great defensive half and some timely buckets. Washington State was able to pull away late in the contest as USF fought hard and came up just short falling by six points to a team that's reached the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• It was a hard fought defensive battle to start the game as neither team was able to generate much offense but the Dons excelled at drawing contact and picking up fouls on the Washington State front court as USF shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line and held the Cougars to 25% shooting from the field as the Dons led 15-12 at the end of the first quarter.
• USF really flexed their muscles in the second quarter as they outscored Washington State by a 12-point margin to extend their lead into double digits throughout the quarter. Providing a great spark off the bench, Loren Christie was on fire from the field scoring 10 points and going 4-for-4 from the field including knocking down a pair of three point shots as USF led 38-23 at halftime.
• Washington State was able to cut into the Dons' lead in the third quarter as USF's defense remained tough but had trouble generating offense coming out of halftime as USF held a 48-41 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
• The Cougars took control midway through the fourth quarter and built their lead heading into the final moments. USF worked hard to battle back late as buckets from Jessica McDowell-White, Debora dos Santos and Kennedy Dickie brought the Dons back within single deficits before ultimately coming up short 69-63 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. 
• A unique twist for Friday afternoon's game was that each program's starting five featured student-athletes born outside the United States as the following countries were represented: Australia (3), Canada (2), Estonia, Finland, Greece, New Zealand and Rwanda.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Coming off the bench for USF, dos Santos had a great performance battling against the Washington State front line as she led the Dons with 16 points and seven rebounds while shooting a highly efficient 7-for-13 from the field.
• Turning in her second straight strong performance to begin the season, Dickie posted her first double-double of the season going for 11 points and 11 rebounds against the Cougars on Friday.
• Playing a key role on both ends of the floor, Christie scored 12 points off the bench, grabbed four rebounds and came away with a steal against Washington State. 

POST GAME WITH THE DONS:

• To watch USF Dons head women's basketball coach Molly Goodenbour's post game press conference, please click here.
• To watch the highlights from this afternoon's game on the Hilltop, please click here. 

UP NEXT:
The Dons will be back home this Wednesday Nov. 16 for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off against the Troy Trojans (2-0) from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Wednesday night will be the first meeting between the two programs. 

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.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.