SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Off a balanced scoring effort from the starting unit, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (11-13, 7-4) won its second consecutive game in a close 79-72 victory over Pacific (13-10, 5-5) on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• San Francisco opened the contest by scoring on its first two possessions on buckets from Debora dos Santos and Jasmine Gayles, taking an early 4-0 lead in the first 30 seconds of the game.
• After a jumper by Cecilia Holmberg put Pacific on the board, USF went on a 15-7 run over the next five-plus minutes to give the green and gold its first double-digit lead, 19-9 at the 3:45 mark of the first quarter.
• With a minute left in the first, two free throws from Elizabeth Eliott cut the Dons' lead to 24-21, but a Cami Fulcher three-pointer and buzzer-beating three from Gayles gave the Dons a 30-21 advantage after the first period.
• Through the first four minutes of the second quarter, the Dons continued to roll with an 8-1 start to the period (a 14-1 run overall), with baskets from dos Santos, Gayles, and Luana Leite to extend the lead to 38-22 at 6:02.
• Freja Werth hit a shot from deep to push San Francisco's advantage to a game-high 20-point lead, 50-30 at 2:20, but a quick 6-0 run from Pacific to end the half kept the Tigers within reach as the Dons headed into the locker room with a 50-36 lead.
• Returning from the break, the Tigers immediately began a comeback with a 10-0 run to begin the third quarter, scoring on each of its first five possessions of the period to cut the Dons' lead to 50-46 at 7:27.
• Fulcher gave the green and gold a much-needed basket with a three-pointer at 6:54 to push the lead to 53-46, but Pacific strung together an 11-4 run to knot the contest at 57, with 4:23 left in the quarter.
• Quickly regaining their cushion, the Dons scored the final seven points of the third quarter, entering the final frame leading 64-57.
• With both teams scoreless through the first two minutes of the fourth, Holmberg scored the period's first bucket at the 8:05 mark, followed by a layup by Elliott, which cut San Francisco's lead to three, 64-61 with seven minutes remaining.
• A timely three-pointer by Werth at the 6:46 mark gave San Francisco its first points of the period, pushing the lead to six, 67-61.
• Continuing to exchange baskets in the final minutes, free throws by Leite and Gayles in the last minute secured the victory for the green and gold, as the Dons captured a 79-72 win over Pacific.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• All five starters for San Francisco scored in double-figures, marking the first time that five Dons scored 10-plus points in a game since Dec. 22, 2020.
• Leading the Dons in scoring for the second time this season, Fulcher totaled 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with five rebounds and two steals.
• Both dos Santos and Leite each scored 14 points on a combined 10-of-21 from the field.
• Nearly recording a double-double, Werth put up a 12-point, nine-rebound performance, shooting 4-of-8 from the three-point line.
• Rounding out the starting lineup, Gayles put up 13 points in a game-high 36 minutes of action. 
• Off the bench, Seynabou Thiam tallied a game-best three blocks in seven minutes of play.
• Aya Kéita posted a game-high plus/minus of +18 in 14 minutes off the bench.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's game, please click here.
• To watch the full postgame interview with head coach Molly Goodenbour, please click here.
• To watch the full postgame interview with Cami Fulcher and Seynabou Thiam, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will close out its homestand on Thursday, Feb. 15 as it hosts Santa Clara for a 6 p.m. meeting 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 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.