SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (14-15, 11-9 WCC) finished the regular season with a dominant 60-35 win over San Diego (6-23, 2-18 WCC) on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Freja Werth set the tone early, draining a three-pointer at 9:28, followed by an Emma Trawally Porta layup to give San Francisco an early 5-0 advantage.
- San Diego answered with a layup from Dresha Moore, but both teams went cold, locked at 5-2 from the 8:04 mark until Freja ended the scoring drought with a free throw at 4:29.
- Malia Tharpe sank two free throws at 8:46 in the second quarter to even the score at eight, but the Dons wasted no time responding, as Angeliki Ziaka converted a fast-break layup to put them back on top, 10-8.
- Freja Werth took control, scoring the Dons' following six points, knocking down one of two free throws to extend the lead to 16-10 at 3:27.
- Kylie Horstmeyer answered with a layup at 3:02 to trim the deficit to four, but Seyanbou Thiam quickly responded with a second-chance basket, pushing the Dons' lead back to six at 18-12.
- San Diego had the final word of the half, as Claire Gallagher buried a buzzer-beating three with 36 seconds left to make it 18-15.
- The Dons struck first in the third quarter with an Aya Keita layup at 9:17, followed by a Freja Werth bucket to cap a 4-0 run, extending the lead to 22-15. However, the Toreros responded with a run of their own, as Truitt Reilly's layup at 7:14 cut the deficit to 22-19.
- A steal by Ziaka shifted the momentum back to the Dons, leading to a Freja Werth and-one followed by a three-pointer, pushing San Francisco's lead to double digits at 29-19 with 5:25 remaining.
- Despite a push from the Toreros, sparked by a layup from Hallie Rhodes that trimmed the lead to 35-24 with 30 seconds left, Mia Vuksic hit an electrifying buzzer-beating three to end the quarter, extending the Dons' lead back to 14 at 38-24.
- The Dons took command in the fourth, going on a 14-6 run to stretch their lead to 22, 52-30, at 4:45. A fast-break layup off a steal from Seyanbou Thiam set up Freja Werth's career-high 30th point, pushing the lead to 56-30.
- Making her first appearance of the game, Marina Hernandez sunk her first shot of the contest, a triple, at 2:30. The Dons held steady for the final two minutes, sealing a 60-35 victory to close out the green and gold's regular season.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Closing out her senior season on the Hilltop, Freja Werth scored a career-high 30 points, shooting an efficient 11-for-18 and hitting 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. She also recorded her third double-double of the season, grabbing 10 rebounds.
- Emma Trawally Porta posted an efficient eight points on four-of-seven shooting, six rebounds, two blocks, and one assist.
- The Dons delivered a defensive masterclass, matching their season-high with eight blocked shots, which led to nine fast-break points.
UP NEXT:
Following its regular-season win and a Saint Mary's loss to LMU, San Francisco has solidified the No. 5 seed in the upcoming West Coast Conference Tournament. The green and gold will face off against the winner of the Santa Clara and LMU matchup on Saturday, Mar. 8 at Orleans Arena.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
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MERCHANDISE:
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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.
