SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (7-4) closed out nonconference play, defeating Sacramento State (6-6) 61-55 in the USF Legacy on Wednesday afternoon at Chase Center.
Led by Aina Cargol's game-high 14 points, San Francisco had three players score in double figures throughout the contest. Along with Cargol, Candy Edokpaigbe and Noelia Mouriño added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Dons totaled 18 assists on 25 made field goals, highlighted by a near double-double from Cargol, who dished out seven. Edokpaigbe helped guide the program with four.
San Francisco forced 28 Sacramento State turnovers during the game, turning the takeaways into 22 points. Mara Neira's four steals led the way for the green and gold.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- San Francisco kicked off the contest on a 7-0 scoring run to take an early advantage at the 7:54 mark of the first quarter. Cargol, Neira, and Mouriño guided the Dons throughout the run.
- Despite holding the lead for the entire opening period, San Francisco lost momentum as Sacramento State trimmed its deficit to three, 16-13, at the end of the first 10 minutes of play.
- Building on its lead in the second quarter, the green and gold pushed the margin to double digits, 28-18, following a second-chance layup from Edokpaigbe with 3:58 remaining. Leading 31-23 late in the quarter, the Dons recorded four straight points, highlighted by a Mouriño layup with two seconds left to take a 35-23 edge to the halftime break.
- The team continued to preserve its lead before going on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Sol Castro, to expand its lead further to 47-28 with 5:06 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the period, the Hornets had cut into that lead, but the Dons still entered the fourth quarter with a 50-39 edge.
- The Dons then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter. San Francisco took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 11 points in the paint.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Cargol scored in double figures for the third time this season, recording a game-high 14 points on 60 percent (six-of-10) shooting. She also added seven assists and four rebounds.
- Mouriño registered an efficient scoring performance, finishing the game with 10 points while connecting on five of her seven field goal attempts.
- On the defensive end, San Francisco recorded 10 steals, the fifth time this season the team has posted double-digit takeaways. Neira led the Dons with four steals while Meghan McIntyre added two.
- As a team, San Francisco outpaced Sacramento State in points in the paint (38-28), fast-break points (14-12), steals (10-4), and assists (18-12).
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco begins West Coast Conference play at home when it hosts Oregon State at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28, 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 US:
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.
*This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive*
