San Francisco Edges Portland State at Home

Tuesday, November 12

San Francisco, Calif.

6:00 p.m.

University of San Francisco

2-1,0-0WCC

Portland State

0-2,0-0Big Sky

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Portland St.	10	15	17	14	56
San Francisco	15	13	15	19	62

Photo by: Christina Leung

11/12/2024 10:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Led by Debora dos Santos's near double-double and a solid contribution from the bench, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (2-1) edged Portland State (0-2) 62-56 Tuesday evening at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Following a Portland State three-point basket to open the scoring in the first quarter, San Francisco responded with a 9-0 scoring run, giving the Dons a 9-3 advantage, as Sol Castro served as the driving force with four points while Freja Werth added a three-pointer.
Despite Alaya Fitzgerald adding a three-point basket for the Vikings, cutting the lead to three, 9-6, back-to-back layups from dos Santos and Elle Papahronis bolstered the Dons' lead to seven, 13-6, at 3:25.
Portland State narrowly outscored San Francisco in the final minutes of the opening period as Rhema Ogele recorded a layup with nine seconds left to trim the Vikings' deficit to five, 15-10.
In a tightly contested second quarter, San Francisco held its five-point advantage midway through, 20-14, as Castro completed a three-point play with a layup and a free throw at 5:12.
The Vikings kept the game close, getting to within one, 26-25 late on, following a 4-0 scoring run. The Dons, however, scored the last basket before the break, with dos Santos connecting on a last-second layup to put the green and gold up 28-25 at halftime.
Papahronis and dos Santos led the team offensively at the start of the third quarter, combining for eight points to extend the advantage to 36-28. Papahronis scored the runs' final four points, recording two free throws and a contested layup to guide the Dons.
The Dons grew the lead to as much as nine, 41-32, after two free throws from Freja Werth at 3:11, but the Vikings began to chip away, scoring 10 of the quarter's final 12 points to get within one, 42-41 heading into the fourth.
Portland State gained its first lead since the game's first minute to open the final period, as Lana Wenger scored four straight points to give the Vikings a 46-45 lead.
Six lead changes ensued in the following minutes as both teams traded baskets. With the Vikings leading 54-52, Papahronis provided the green and gold with a three-pointer to regain the lead, 55-54, at the 5:16 mark of the fourth.
The Dons' defense highlighted the final minutes, holding the Vikings to just two points to secure the victory, 62-56.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Dos Santos scored a season-high 17 points, shooting 44.4 percent (eight-for-18) from the field, and grabbed eight rebounds.
Castro and Papahronis led the Dons off the bench, combining for 25 points and 10 rebounds. Castro posted a season-best 13 points in 15 minutes while shooting 85.7 percent (six-for-seven) from the field. Papahronis reached double figures for the second straight game, with 12 points while leading the team in free throws with five.
Luana Leite recorded eight of the team's 15 assists, posting eight or more assists in a game for the sixth time in her career.
As a team, San Francisco held Portland State to 32.8 percent (21-for-64) shooting, and in the third straight game, the Dons held an opponent to under 35 percent shooting.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

To view the full highlights of tonight's game, please click here.
To view the full postgame interview with Head Coach Molly Goodenbour, please click here.
To view the full postgame interview with Debora dos Santos and Sol Castro, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to action when it travels to face off against San Diego State at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Viejas Arena.

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 – 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.