SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (7-11, 3-2) dropped a West Coast Conference decision on the road, falling to Santa Clara (15-5, 3-2) Saturday afternoon at Leavey Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Luana Leite, Debora dos Santos, and Aya Kéita propelled San Francisco through the first four minutes of action as San Francisco held serve with Santa Clara, 6-6, at the 6:20 mark of the opening quarter.
• The Broncos quickly jumped ahead in part to an 8-2 scoring run, pushing their advantage to 14-8 near the end of the first quarter. The Dons answered with the last two baskets, a three-pointer from Freja Werth, and a second-chance layup from Lorena Barbosa to cut the deficit to one, 14-13, at the end of the period.
• The game remained close in the second quarter, with Santa Clara scoring its lead to eight, 21-13, four minutes in. San Francisco responded as back-to-back baskets from Jasmine Gayles cut the deficit in half, 21-17, under a minute later.
• The Broncos' lead never surpassed six points throughout the remainder of the second quarter as the Dons cut it to five, 26-21 after Keita connected on one free throw with 38 seconds remaining.
• Santa Clara continued to hold the lead throughout the third quarter as San Francisco battled to stay within striking distance. Trailing by seven, 30-23, at the 8:05 mark of the quarter, the Dons used a 10-5 run to cut the deficit to two, 35-33, with 4:54 remaining. Four players scored throughout the run, with Werth, dos Santos, Leite, and Kéita putting the ball in the basket.
• Later in the quarter, the green and gold's defense came through, turning the Broncos over three times and holding them scoreless in the final 2:15.
• The Dons, trailing by six, 44-38, trimmed the deficit to three, 44-41, heading into the final quarter with Werth knocking down a long three-pointer to give the green and gold some momentum.
• Leite produced the first points of the fourth quarter, forcing a turnover and taking the ball the length of the court for a layup to bring the Dons within one, 44-43. The Broncos, however, increased their lead shortly after, using a 10-4 run to gain a 54-47 advantage.
• Santa Clara, leading wire-to-wire, never relinquished the lead throughout the fourth quarter while pushing the lead to double digits multiple times late in the game.
• The Dons got as close as nine, 68-59, with 41 seconds left on two free throws from dos Santos, but clutch free throws down the stretch gave the Broncos a 13-point win, 72-59. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Gayles led San Francisco in scoring, recording her ninth-straight game in double figures with 17 points. Gayles also connected on six of her nine free-throw attempts and recorded six rebounds.
• Werth, who scored most of her points in the second half, totaled 13 in a game-high 39 minutes. Lethal from distance, Werth connected on three of her six three-point attempts and guided the team defensively, adding six rebounds, two steals, and one block.
• Barbosa matched a career-high seven rebounds, leading the team while adding four points.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame press conference with Head Coach Molly Goodenbour please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to the Hilltop at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, when it faces off against Loyola Marymount at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The Dons knocked off the Lions on the road at the start of conference play, earning a 63-38 win at Gersten Pavilion. 

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.

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.