MALIBU, Calif. – Powered by a strong shooting performance from the three-point line, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (9-12, 5-3) earned a 78-54 West Coast Conference win over Pepperdine (5-16, 1-7) Thursday evening at Firestone Fieldhouse.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Debora dos Santos scored the game's first basket, putting San Francisco in front with a driving layup, 2-0, with 35 seconds off the clock.
- The two teams traded baskets throughout the first three minutes of the opening quarter as Pepperdine led 6-5 at the 6:49 mark. The Waves continued to build momentum in the following minute of play, extending their lead to 8-5 with 5:03 remaining in the first quarter.
- The Dons quickly tied the game at eight after Jasmine Gayles knocked down a wide-open straight-away three-pointer the following possession.
- An 11-4 run ensued for the green and gold to close out the first quarter, capped off with two straight three-pointers from Gayles and Cami Fulcher to give the Dons a 19-12 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of play.
- San Francisco bombarded Pepperdine to start the second quarter, extending its lead to double-digits using a 7-0 run to gain a 14-point edge, 26-12, at the 7:20 mark. Three players scored throughout as Fulcher concluded the scoring run with her second three-pointer of the game.
- Despite the Waves answering with a three, cutting the deficit to 11, dos Santos recorded three straight layups to put the Dons up 17, 32-15, at the 5:53 mark.
- Gayles stole the show shortly after, scoring seven straight points on two layups and a three-pointer to give the Dons a 24-point advantage with just over three minutes until the halftime break.
- After Pepperdine cut the deficit to 19, 40-21, in the quarter's final minutes, Freja Werth knocked down the final shot of the quarter, a three-pointer from the corner to give San Francisco a 43-21 halftime lead.
- The Waves narrowly outscored the Dons in the third quarter, 19-17, but ever gained enough momentum to cut into the deficit. The Waves got to within 18 with 31 seconds left in the third but two clutch free throws from Werth put the Dons back up 20, 60-40, heading into the final quarter of play.
- A quick 5-2 run gave Pepperdine a spark to open the fourth quarter as the Waves cut the Dons' lead to 17, 60-43, just under two minutes in. Gayles, however, answered with a three, extending the advantage back to 20, at the 8:21 mark.
- The green and gold cruised through the final quarter, holding their double-digit advantage throughout the final 10 minutes. The Dons ended the game on a 6-0 run as Paula Tirado, Aya Kéita, and Marina Hernandez recorded baskets.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Dos Santos finished the game with a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, tallied her 12th double-double of the season. Recording a career-high 11 made field goals, dos Santos shot 78.6 percent (11-for-14) from the field and was perfect from the three-point line in the lone attempt.
- Gayles added 23 points for the Dons, surpassing the 20-point threshold in a game for the eighth time this season. Gayles had a career night from beyond the three-point line, knocking down six of her seven attempts from distance while adding five rebounds.
- Werth nearly recorded a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the winning efforts. Werth also knocked down two of her four attempts from the three-point line and was perfect from the free-throw line, connecting on all five attempts.
- Fulcher scored eight points, the most in a game since having eight against Northern Arizona on December 9. Fulcher had an efficient shooting performance, going three-for-five from the field with two baskets coming from beyond the arc.
- As a team, San Francisco shot 46.8 percent (29-for-62) from the field throughout the game. The Dons were also lethal from the three-point line, shooting 50 percent from distance while knocking down a season-high 12 three-pointers. Five different players found success from the three-point line, with Gayles leading the way with six.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco continues its Southern California road trip when it takes on San Diego at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
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 -
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.
