SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Highlighted by double-doubles from
Debora dos Santos and
Emma Trawally Porta, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (3-6) returned to the win column, defeating Arizona State (5-6) 67-64 Tuesday morning at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Opening the game with a layup with 13 seconds off the clock, Trawally Porta kickstarted an 8-0 San Francisco run to begin the first quarter. Three layups in the following handful of possessions from Freja Werth, dos Santos, and Angeliki Ziaka propelled the Dons to an eight-point advantage.
- Arizona State answered immediately, scoring seven straight points to trim the deficit to one, 8-7, following a Tyi Skinner free throw at 4:48
- Building the margin in the back half of the opening period, the Dons extended their lead to double-digits as Loren Barbosa knocked down back-to-back free throws with 43 seconds remaining to give the green and gold an 18-8 edge.
- Despite Jyah Lovett cashing in on a long three-pointer to bring the Sun Devils to within seven, 18-11, two late free throws from Ziaka pushed the Dons' lead to nine, 20-11, at the end of the first quarter.
- After the Dons pushed their advantage back to double-digits, 22-11, at 8:43 of the second quarter, the Sun Devils regained momentum and cut the lead to three, 24-21, two minutes later.
- Holding onto the lead for almost the entire first half, the Dons relinquished after Kennedy Basham knocked down a straight-away three-pointer to give ASU a 30-29 edge at 3:02.
- In the final two minutes of the half, San Francisco propelled ahead with a 5-2 run, highlighted by a Werth three-pointer to end the half with a 34-32 advantage.
- Arizona State controlled the pace of play late in the third quarter, regaining the lead following back-and-forth action through the opening six minutes. Trailing 38-34, the Sun Devils used a 12-0 scoring run to seize an eight-point lead, 46-38, their largest of the game at the 1:07 mark of the period.
- Two free throws from dos Santos and a Trawally Porta layup with 26 seconds left trimmed San Francisco's deficit to six, 48-42, at the end of the third.
- Applying pressure defensively at the start of the fourth quarter, the Dons tied the game at 50 following a 7-2 run in the opening 4:39. Dos Santos capped off the run with four straight points while Werth and Trawally Porta contributed on both ends of the floor.
- With the game tied at 57 with a minute left, Elle Papahronis secured a loose ball and scored a fast-break layup to put the green and gold up for good, 59-57, with 45 seconds left.
- The Dons ended the game with eight made free throws, securing the three-point win, 67-64, despite Skinner recording two late three-pointers to keep the Sun Devils in the game.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Dos Santos and Trawally Porta led San Francisco throughout the 40 minutes, as dos Santos totaled a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double while Trawally Porta added 13 points and 12 rebounds for her first double-double as a Don.
- Werth posted 16 points in a season-high 38 minutes while remaining perfect from the free-throw line, knocking down all seven of her attempts from the charity stripe. In nine games, Werth is 22-of-22 from the free throw line and is the lone player in the WCC with at least 20 attempts without a miss.
- Ziaka also contributed offensively, leading the Dons with eight of the team's 21 bench points while adding one rebound, one steal, and two blocks.
- As a team, San Francisco shot 82.9 percent (29-for-35) from the free-throw line, its highest percentage in a game this season. Four players shot 100 percent from the charity stripe (Werth, Ziaka, Barbosa, and Aya Kéita), the most this season.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco begins West Coast Conference play at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, when it hosts Gonzaga 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,
@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 –
Planet Orange – 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.
