SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (1-1) earned its first win of the season, taking down UC Santa Barbara (1-1) 59-37 Saturday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- San Francisco came out strong, establishing an early lead, 3-0, with a three-pointer from Cami Fulcher, assisted by Luana Leite. The Dons continued to build an advantage in the following minutes, as Elle Papahronis capped off an 8-3 run with a long three-point basket to expand the lead to 11-3 at the four-minute mark.
- UC Santa Barbara responded at the end of the first quarter, scoring seven straight points to trim the deficit to one, 11-10, following a three-pointer from Jessica Grant at 1:12.
- Trading free throws at the end of the quarter, the Dons finished the game's opening 10 minutes with a 13-12 lead.
- With the second quarter tied at 16 at the 4:33 mark, Sol Castro's turnaround jumper sparked a 6-0 scoring run, as the green and gold held a slight 22-16 edge over the Gauchos at the end of the period.
- Leading by two, 24-22, three minutes into the third quarter, San Francisco dominated the following four minutes, building its lead with consistent scoring and standout defensive plays. Debora dos Santos contributed heavily with a series of jumpers, while Luana Leite and Freja Werth added defensive strength by securing crucial rebounds, allowing the Dons to maintain a double-digit lead, 37-22 at 3:25.
- The Gauchos chipped away at the Dons' lead in the last minute of the third quarter, trimming the deficit to eight, 41-33.
- In the fourth quarter, the green and gold sealed the victory with a balanced offensive approach. Papahronis expanded San Francisco's advantage back to double-digits with two free throws at the 9:50 mark, while layups from dos Santos, Leite, and Emma Trawally Porta gave the Dons a 49-33 lead with 6:17 remaining.
- The Dons dominated defensively in the fourth, holding the Gauchos to four points and one field goal in the final 10 minutes. Expanding the lead in the final minutes, Emma Trawally Porta hit a critical three-pointer, while Werth delivered a final jumper to give the Dons a 22-point victory, 59-37.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Leading the team in scoring, dos Santos nearly posted a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.
- Trawally Porta reached double-digit rebounds for the first time as a Don, recording a game-high 10 in 31 minutes of action. She also added nine points off the bench and knocked down two three-pointers.
- Papahronis scored 10 points to help guide the team offensively, adding five made free throws, five rebounds, and two assists.
- In just her second career game, Ziaka led the Dons in blocks at the point guard position, while scoring eight points, and dishing out three assists.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to action when it hosts Portland State in a nonconference contest at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women's basketball program, follow the Dons
@USFDonsWBB on Twitter,
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@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 –
ABM – 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.
