SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Wrapping up the year 2022 on a high note, the USF Dons women's basketball team (12-3, 2-1) earned a gritty, come from behind win on the road over the Santa Clara Broncos (10-6, 1-2) 80-79 in overtime on Saturday afternoon. The win kept USF perfect away from the Hilltop this season as the Dons are a perfect 3-0 in true road games this season.
Trailing at the half and down by as many as 15 points midway through the third quarter, the Dons were able to mount an impressive comeback to take the game from rival Santa Clara for their third win in a row and their tenth win in their last 11 games played overall. Providing a huge spark off the USF bench,
Loren Christie made numerous key plays in the Dons' win as she finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists two steals and the game-sealing block against Santa Clara.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Dons offense was clicking early on as they scored the first points off a Debora dos Santos turn around and then added a pair of three point makes from Ioanna Krimili and Kennedy Dickie to give USF an early 11-8 advantage in the game. Santa Clara went on to control the remainder of the quarter as they hit some outside shots to take an 18-13 at the end of the first quarter.
- Trailing by a few points early in the quarter, the Dons received a much needed bucket from Christie who hit a jump shot to draw USF a little closer at 20-15. The Dons fought back to reduce the deficit to just one point following a Jessica McDowell-White steal that turned into a bucket plus the foul. The Broncos regained their footing late in the quarter as they made a couple late three point shots to lead 42-33 at halftime.
- Coming out of the half, the Dons got an early basket on a pull up jumper from Krimili to make it 44-35 before the Broncos were able to build their lead to 54-39 following a made three-point shot off a USF turnover. Following some key substitutions, the Dons were able to claw their way back in the quarter as Kia Vaalavirta scored eight quick points that cut Santa Clara's lead down to 56-51. After a pair of made free throws from Christie late in the quarter, USF trailed by just three points at 56-53 heading into the fourth quarter.
- The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle as the Dons were able to reduce their deficit to one point throughout before a key Santa Clara bucket provided them with some slight separation. USF was finally able to knot the score with under a minute to go as Christie hit a key jump shot that sent the game into overtime with the score even at 72.
- In overtime, the Broncos scored first and the Dons were able to respond with a dos Santos lay up to even the score yet again. After each team split free throws on consecutive trips to the line, McDowell-White took the ball to the basket and earned a trip to the line that put the Dons up 77-76 for the first time since the first quarter and they wouldn't trail again in the game. Krimili and McDowell-White each made two more free throws to put USF up by four and despite a late made three-pointer from Santa Clara, the Dons escaped with the 80-79 road victory at the Leavey Center.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Christie did it all for the Dons off the bench on Saturday afternoon with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals and the block of the game against the Broncos. Hitting big free throws throughout the late stages of the game, Loren went 4-of-5 from the charity stripe on Saturday.
- Leading the way for USF scoring against Santa Clara, dos Santos had a big game by totaling 24 points, eight rebounds, a game-high four steals and a while shooting a highly efficient 10-for-14 from the field.
- Coming off the bench for just the second time all season, Vaalavirta stayed ready and provided tremendous impact with her defense and scoring as she notched 10 key points on 4-of-8 shooting and knocked down a couple of three-point shots against the Broncos.
- Doing a little bit of everything in the victory, Krimili was able to put in 12 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists in her 35 minutes on Saturday.
POST GAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
The Dons are now back on the road this Thursday as they will travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on the #19 Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-2, 4-0) on Jan. 5 from the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane. USF is looking for their first win over the Bulldogs since the 2016-17 season as all three games last season were decided by an average of seven points.
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.
