SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Returning to the Hilltop after a Southern California road stint last week, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (10-13, 6-4 WCC) got back in the win column, holding on to defeat Saint Mary's (10-13, 4-5 WCC) in a 59-54 contest on Thursday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Right off the jump, Luana Leite found Jasmine Gayles for a three-pointer on the opening possession, giving San Francisco an early 3-0 lead.
- At 8:29, a free throw by Zeryhia Aokuso put the Gaels on the board, but that ended up being Saint Mary's only point of the quarter, as the Dons held SMC to an 0-for-14 first quarter. USF ended those last eight and a half minutes on a 9-0 run, with Jasmine Gayles ending the quarter with 7 points on 3-of-6 shooting to give the Dons a 12-1 lead after the first period.
- Leite scored the first points of the second quarter on a lay-up to give the green and gold a 14-1 lead, but Saint Mary's battled back with a 10-0 run, including eight points from Makena Mastora, to cut the Dons' lead to 14-11 at the 6:32 mark.
- The two teams continued to exchange baskets to end the period, including eight points in the final 6:13 from Freja Werth, as San Francisco went into the break with a 26-20 lead.
- Opening the second half on a 7-2 run through the first three minutes, the Dons built their lead back up to double-digits, 33-22 at 6:51.
- Saint Mary's quickly answered with a 12-4 run of its own, including five points from Ali Bamberger to cut the Dons' lead to three, 37-34 at 3:06.
- Three shots from deep from Werth, Aya Kéita, and Debora dos Santos extended the green and gold's lead to eight, 46-38, at the end of three quarters of action.
- San Francisco opened the final period with five quick points from Leite and Gayles to put the Dons on top 51-38 through the first minute of the fourth.
- Holding a 57-46 lead with just under four minutes to play, the Gaels made a push with an 8-0 run, including six points from Aokuso, to cut the Dons' lead to 57-54 with 20 seconds remaining.
- A turnover from Saint Mary's and two free throws from Gayles in the final ten seconds sealed the deal for San Francisco, as the green and gold took a 59-54 victory to open a three-game homestand.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Jasmine Gayles once again led San Francisco in scoring with 16 points and two made threes in a team-high 37 minutes of play.
- Freja Werth hit a game-high four three-pointers, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds.
- Nearly recording a third-straight double-double, Debora dos Santos put up nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds in the contest, with seven points and eight rebounds coming in the third quarter.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco continues its homestand on Saturday afternoon, hosting Pacific for a 2 p.m. match-up 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 –
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.
