LONG BEACH, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (3-8) erased a double-digit deficit but came up short at Long Beach State (5-4), falling 81-79 in the final non-conference road game Tuesday afternoon at Walter Pyramid.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Long Beach State kicked off the game with a 5-0 run before Luana Leite put San Francisco on the board with a driving layup at the 7:50 mark of the first quarter.
- The Beach continued to increase their lead in the following minutes and led by 14, 20-6, at the 2:49 mark. The Dons, however, recovered and closed out the first quarter on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to four, 20-16.
- Debora dos Santos sparked the scoring run with a three-point basket, and Seynabou Thiam added five points in the quarter's closing minute to cap off the rally.
- The green and gold kept the game close at the start of the second quarter as both teams traded baskets in the first four minutes. Leading by four, 33-29, the Beach closed the first half on a 17-4 run and led by 17, 50-33, at the halftime break.
- Trailing by as much as 19 in the third quarter, San Francisco chipped away at the deficit late in the period. Down 66-47, the Dons pushed through and used a 12-5 run to cut the deficit to 12 heading into the final quarter.
- The green and gold continued to fight and cut the deficit to single digits, 73-64 after Freja Werth connected on a three-point basket at the 8:04 mark. Werth's three sparked a 9-2 scoring run that trimmed the deficit to two, 75-73, midway through the fourth quarter.
- The Dons eventually tied the game at the 3:25 mark after Jasmine Gayles connected on a three-point attempt, evening the score at 77. The Beach pulled ahead shortly after and survived one final possession as a Debora dos Santos final layup attempt to tie the game came up short.
- Despite the loss, San Francisco erased a 19-point deficit and outscored Long Beach State 46-31 in the second half.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Gayles led the team in scoring, finishing with a game-high 21 points. Surpassing the 20-point scoring threshold for the third time this season, Gayles increased her season average to 15.3 points per game. Gayles also added six rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
- Leite reached double figures for the third-straight game with 18 points on 41.1 percent (seven-for-17) shooting. Being effective at the free-throw line once again, Leite shot 80 percent (four-for-five) from the charity stripe.
- Recording a double-double for the third consecutive game, dos Santos put up 13 points and 15 rebounds in 28 minutes. Dos Santos, who leads the team in rebounding, is now averaging a double-double on the season with 12.7 and 10.2 rebounds per game.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
Following the holiday break, San Francisco returns home to the Hilltop at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 28 when it takes on Columbia at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons
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MERCHANDISE:
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SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor -
Coca-Cola - 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.
