LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Propelled by Freja Werth's game-high 24 points, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (15-15, 11-9 WCC) held on for a 75-66 victory over LMU (14-16, 7-13 WCC) in the third round of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championship Saturday afternoon at Orleans Arena.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Trading baskets to begin the game, San Francisco jumped ahead 7-4 following a Cami Fulcher three-pointer at the 5:48 mark of the opening quarter.
• LMU quickly responded, tying the game at seven following the media timeout as Amelie Sitterud knocked down a corner three at 4:13.
• With the game tied at 15, Emma Trawally Porta recorded the final field goal of the first quarter as San Francisco led 17-15.
• Angeliki Ziaka propelled the green and gold at the start of the second quarter, connecting on three-pointers in back-to-back possessions to push the margin to eight, 23-15, at 8:57.
• Holding a nine-point edge later in the quarter, 31-22, LMU began to cut into its deficit using a 7-0 two-minute scoring run to get within two, 31-29, at 4:06.
• With under a minute to play in the first half, Freja Werth scored the final four points, highlighted by a baseline mid-range jumper with three seconds left on the clock as San Francisco led 40-35 at the halftime break.
• The two programs went back and forth at the start of the second half as the Dons held a six-point advantage, 48-42, following back-to-back layups from Werth and Trawally Porta.
• Leading by three, 51-48, near the end of the period, the Dons posted a 7-0 run, capped off with a driving layup from Luana Leite to give the green and gold its first double-digit advantage, 58-48 with 28 seconds remaining.
• LMU scored the final field goal of the third, a second-chance layup by Maya Hernandez at the buzzer to trim the Lions' deficit to 58-50.
• Werth and Trawally Porta guided San Francisco in the final quarter of play, scoring back-to-back field goals to put the Dons up 62-50 at 8:09.
• LMU battled back, scoring seven straight points in the following three minutes, cutting San Francisco's margin to five, 62-57.
• Both teams traded long scoring runs as the Lions got to within two, 67-65 after Naudia Evans knocked down a straight-away three-pointer at 1:21.
• Despite not recording a field goal in the game's final four minutes, San Francisco went a perfect eight-for-eight at the free-throw line to secure the 75-66 victory.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Leading all scorers, Werth totaled 24 points while shooting an efficient 50 percent (six-for-12) from the field and knocked down 11 of her 13 attempts from the free-throw line. Her 20-point scoring performance marks the third straight game of at least 20 points and her 11th overall this season.
• Trawally Porta nearly posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-best nine rebounds. Defensively, she added a block and a steal to help propel the Dons.
• Scoring 13 points in 28 minutes off the bench, Ziaka guided the green and gold's second unit as she connected on four-of-eight attempts from the field and led the team with two three-pointers.
• Leite also posted double-digit points, adding 12 points while grabbing five rebounds.
• As a team, San Francisco led LMU in points in the paint (28-18), rebounds (36-29), and bench points 915-5). 

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame interview with Head Coach Molly Goodenbour, Freja Werth, and Emma Trawally Porta, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to action at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Mar. 9, when it takes on No. 4-seeded Oregon State in the quarterfinal round of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championship at Orleans Arena.
 
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 – Coca Colas –  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.