SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Earning its fifth-straight win and remaining undefeated in conference play, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (7-6, 4-0 WCC) defeated Saint Mary's (8-6, 4-1 WCC), 87-73, Thursday evening at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

IN CASE YOU MISSED:

• Following a made three-point basket from Abigail Shoff, giving Saint Mary's an earlier 3-0 lead, San Francisco stormed ahead and used an 11-1 run to jump ahead, 11-4 at 6:05. Emma Trawally Porta contributed six points, scoring on all three of her field-goal attempts.
• Saint Mary's kept the game close early on, cutting San Francisco's advantage to one, 13-11 after Shoff knocked down a mid-range jumper with 3:42 remaining in the first quarter.
• The Dons responded with a final scoring run, recording 11 of the quarter's final 16 points, finishing the opening 10 minutes with a seven-point advantage, 24-17. Angeliki Ziaka broke out in the back half of the period, scoring five points, including a long three-pointer with 54 seconds remaining on the first-quarter clock.
• Despite holding onto the lead at the start of the second, the Dons' margin diminished to one, 26-24, as the Gaels opened the quarter on a 7-2 run.
• Three straight three-point baskets from Freja Werth, Cami Fulcher, and Ziaka quickly gave the green and gold a cushion, pushing the lead back up to 11, 35-24, at 4:12.
• After both teams traded points in the following two-minute stretch, the Dons closed the first half on a high note, pushing their advantage to 14, 40-28, as Aya Kéita concluded a 7-0 run with a driving layup with just over a minute left.
• The Gaels cut their deficit to eight, 43-35, at the halftime break as Maia Jones connected on a long three-point attempt with five seconds remaining.
• In the third quarter, San Francisco's lead expanded to double-digits, 50-40, when Trawally Porta connected on a layup after cutting to the basket at 8:16.
• The Dons' margin grew later in the quarter, using a 16-8 scoring run in the following six minutes. Luana Leite and Ziaka found a rhythm from the three-point line, while Trawally Porta and Werth combined for eight points.
• Trailing by 18 later in the third, 68-50, Saint Mary's ended with points in back-to-back possessions to get within 14, 68-54.
• Saint Mary's controlled the pace of play in the fourth, trimming San Francisco's advantage to single digits, 75-67, with a 13-7 run ending at the 6:17 mark. Jones concluded the scoring for the Gaels, connecting on two free throws.
• After trading baskets in the following possessions, San Francisco began to pull away, holding Saint Mary's to no points in the final 1:38 of the game. The Dons finished the contest going a perfect five-for-five at the free-throw line as Leite and Werth led the team to a 14-point victory, 87-73.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Reaching the 20-point threshold for the first time in her career, Ziaka finished the game with a career-high 22 points on six made three-pointers in 25 minutes off the bench. The freshman guard shot 66.7 percent from the field and three-point range while adding five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
• Trawally Porta added a season-high 21 points, surpassing her previous best of 20 set at Northern Arizona on December 14. Remaining efficient from the floor, she shot over 50 percent for the 10th time this season as she connected on 62.5 percent (10-for-12) of her shot attempts.
• Debora dos Santos posted back-to-back double-doubles, finishing the game with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
• Leite also added a double-double with 11 points and a career-best 13 assists in 36 minutes of action. Leite continues to excel at the charity stripe, knocking down eight of her nine free-throw attempts. In the last four WCC games, Leite is 21-of-22 from the free-throw line for 95.5 percent.
• Scoring in double figures for the sixth time in the last seven games, Werth posted 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
• As a team, San Francisco led Saint Mary's in rebounding (37-25), fast-break points (13-2), points in the paint (38-24), and points off turnovers (28-15). The Dons also shot 50 percent or better for the second time in three games, connecting on 52.6 percent of their attempts against the Gaels.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's game, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with Head Coach Molly Goodenbour, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with Angeliki Ziaka and Emma Trawally Porta, please click here. 

UP NEXT:
San Francisco concludes its two-game homestand at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, when it hosts Pepperdine in a West Coast Conference contest 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 – San Francisco Toyota –  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.