SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Propelled by Freja Werth's career performance, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (10-10, 7-4 WCC) outlasted San Diego (4-15, 0-10 WCC) 63-56 Saturday afternoon at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• In a tight opening four minutes of the first quarter, San Francisco held a narrow 9-8 advantage following a driving layup by Luana Leite, giving the Dons their first lead.
• San Diego responded quickly with a 7-0 scoring run, regaining momentum and taking a 15-9 lead at 4:32. Kylie Horstmeyer capped off the Toreros' run with a layup, while Ava Ranson and Truitt Reilly contributed to the scoring efforts.
• Aya Kéita kickstarted a 9-0 run for the Dons shortly after, scoring five straight points, while Angeliki Ziaka and Leite completed the run with back-to-back layups, giving the green and gold an 18-15 advantage with 2:45 on the clock.
• San Francisco held onto its edge throughout the remainder of the opening quarter, leading 25-20 at the end of the first 10 minutes.
• Following a Torero turnover, Werth knocked down her first three-pointer of the game, extending the Dons' lead to eight, 28-20, at 8:01.
• Two Ziaka free throws in the next possession pushed the team's lead to double-digits, 30-20, at 7:11.
• Leading 35-28 later in the quarter, Mia Vuksic connected on a long three-pointer for her first points as the Dons ballooned their margin back to 10, 38-28, with 58 seconds remaining.
• San Diego recorded the final basket of the half, a Dresha Moore layup, trimming San Francisco's advantage to eight, 38-30.
• After San Diego cut its deficit to six, 38-32, Werth scored four straight points to strengthen San Francisco's lead back to 10, 42-32, at 7:52.
• Both teams traded baskets throughout the period as the Dons led 46-36 with three minutes remaining. Bolstering the double-digit margin in the final minutes of the third period, Werth and Elle Papahronis knocked down five consecutive free throws to give the Dons a 14-point advantage, 52-38, with 20 seconds left.
• The Toreros, however, scored at the buzzer on a Hallie Rhodes mid-range jumper to trim the Dons' lead to 12, 52-40, at the end of 30 minutes of play.
• San Diego nearly erased its double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, cutting San Francisco's advantage to three, 59-56, with 2:18 remaining. Werth scored a tough turnaround jumper in the paint to give the Dons a 61-56 lead, and Ziaka recorded two free throws with two seconds left to seal the 63-56 victory.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Werth continued her stretch of 20-point performances as she notched a career-best 26 points on 43.8 percent (seven-for-16) shooting. Lethal from the free-throw line, Werth knocked down all 10 of her attempts from the charity stripe.
• Kéita scored in double figures for the first time this season with 10 points in 21 minutes of action. Setting the tone early in the game, she scored seven points in the opening quarter and finished shooting 66.7 percent (four-for-six) from the field.
• Despite failing to score, Emma Trawally Porta led the Dons' defensive efforts, posting eight rebounds and tying Kéita for the team lead in blocks with two.
• As a team, San Francisco dominated on the glass, outrebounding San Diego 32-27 while grabbing 12 offensive boards. Efficient from the free-throw line, the Dons connected on 81.0 percent of their attempts.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to the Hilltop at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, when it takes on LMU 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:
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SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary 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.