SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – In a hard-fought defensive battle, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (8-12, 4-3) dropped a 73-54 decision to No. 17 Gonzaga (20-2, 7-0) Saturday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Gonzaga came out of the gates fast, scoring 10 of the game's first 13 points to hold a commanding 10-3 lead at the 5:22 mark of the first quarter.
- San Francisco continued fighting, cutting the deficit to four, 14-10, with 3:54 remaining in the opening period. Seynabou Thiam and Debora dos Santos connected on layup attempts, and Freja Werth knocked down a long three-pointer to get the Dons back into the game.
- The Dons got to within three points of the Bulldogs during the first quarter after Aya Kéita hit a mid-range jumper to make it 16-13 at the 1:38 mark.
- A 5-0 run for the Zags, spearheaded by Yvonne Ejim, ended the first quarter with Gonzaga holding a 21-13 advantage.
- San Francisco struggled to score in the second quarter as Gonzaga embarked on a seven-minute 14-0 run to extend its advantage to 35-13. The Dons responded, however, ending the second quarter on an 8-2 run to get within 16, 37-21, at the halftime break. Jasmine Gayles highlighted the run, scoring the final four points for the Dons in the period's final two minutes.
- The Dons continued to chip away at the deficit coming out of halftime, as dos Santos connected on a layup for the team's first points of the second half.
- Trailing 48-35, San Francisco cut the deficit to 13, the closest the team had been in the quarter after dos Santos forced a steal and Luana Leite raced down the court for a fast break layup at the 3:23 mark.
- Both teams continued to trade baskets throughout the quarter as the Zags held a 14-point advantage, 55-41, heading into the final 10 minutes.
- Gonzaga added to its lead throughout the fourth quarter, extending it to a 20-point advantage, 70-51, with 1:34 remaining. Gayles cut the deficit to 19 late, 73-54, after connecting on a three-pointer with 33 seconds left on the clock.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Four players reached double figures, with Kéita leading the team with 14 points in 23 minutes off the bench. Kéita shot 54.5 percent (six-for-11) from the field and connected on one three-pointer.
- Gayles led the starters with 13 points and had a team-high six assists in 39 minutes of action.
- Dos Santos nearly had a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds while shooting an efficient 57.1 percent (four-for-seven) from the floor.
- Leite was active on both sides of the ball throughout the contest, scoring 10 points, collecting six rebounds, and tallying two steals.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to action at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1, when it hits the road to take on Pepperdine at Firestone Fieldhouse.
FOLLOW US:
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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 – 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.
