LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (18-13) advanced in the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championship with a wire-to-wire 86-69 third-round victory over Pepperdine (19-12) Saturday afternoon at Orleans Arena.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• After San Francisco knocked down its first two field goal attempts, the green and gold opened an early 10-point advantage, 12-2, at the 7:26 mark of the first quarter.
• The Dons continued to build their lead throughout the opening 10 minutes and recorded a late 8-0 scoring run to push the margin to 14, 28-14, at the end of the quarter. Meghan McIntyre paced the team during the run, knocking down back-to-back field goals in the final 1:13.
• Holding its lead intact, San Francisco opened the second quarter on a 7- scoring run, highlighted by three-pointers from Mara Neira and Nataša Taušová to increase the lead to 21, 35-14, at 7:48.
• Pepperdine trimmed into its deficit near the end of the period as the green and gold held a 43-30 advantage at the halftime break.
• The Dons began the second half on an 11-3 scoring run, and increased their lead to 21, 54-33, with under three minutes off the third-quarter clock. Despite the Waves getting to within 12, Michelle Ugwah and Candy Edokpaigbe combined to score the final five points to give the green and gold a 64-47 edge.
• In a back-and-forth fourth quarter, San Francisco pushed its lead back to 21, 80-59, at 2:57, after Noelia Mouriño completed a three-point play at the free throw line. Pepperdine rallied later on and got to within 15, 84-69, but Aina Cargol knocked down two free throws with 37 seconds left to solidify the 86-69 victory.

• For the second time this season, five players scored in double figures for San Francisco, led by Neira, who had 15 points and three steals. Taušová added 14 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, while Mouriño totaled 11 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Edokpaigbe also contributed with 10 points.
• As a team, the Dons totaled 35 rebounds, with Taušová and Mouriño grabbing seven apiece.
• On the defensive end, the green and gold forced 17 Pepperdine turnovers and recorded 13 steals. Edokpaigbe led the Dons with four steals while Neira and Taušová added three.
• San Francisco also outpaced Pepperdine in rebounds (35-33), points in the paint (36-30), points off turnovers (29-15), second-chance points (15-12), and bench points (23-13).

• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Molly Goodenbour, Aina Cargol, and Nataša Taušová, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to Orleans Arena at 2:00 p.m. when it takes on No. 3 Santa Clara in the quarterfinal round of the Credit Union 1 WCC Championship.
 
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 – 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.

*This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive*