Box Score (Portland, Ore.) - The San Francisco women's basketball team came out strong, but a last second shot from the Portland Pilots proved to be the difference as the Dons dropped a tough 78-76 loss to the Pilots Saturday at the Chiles Center in Portland.
Katy Keating paced four Dons with double-digit scoring efforts, posting a team-high 20 points.
USF (3-16, 1-5 West Coast Conference) came out of the gates strong to led by as many as 16 early. San Francisco opened the contest with a 14-2 run, going up 23- at 11:30. Portland (8-12, 1-5 WCC) pulled within five late in the second half, 40-35, but back-to-back baskets from
Taj Winston and Rhiena Ale, pulled USF back out by 10. San Francisco held onto the lead, taking a 47-39 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the first half, the Dons hit 17-of-32 shots to post a notable, 53.1 shooting percentage. USF sank nine 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes, four of which came from Keating. For the game, San Francisco finished with 10 baskets from deep.
The Pilots came out battling in the second half and changed the momentum of the game. The two teams traded the lead seven times and held a tie on eight occasions over the final 20 minutes. Portland took its' first lead of the game, 57-55, at 12:48 on a lay-in from Cassandra Brown.
At the wire, the Dons'
Bailey Barbour hit two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to tie the score 76-76. Portland in bounded the ball, and with San Francisco pressing, brought the ball up court. With 1.1 seconds remaining, the Pilots' Natalie Day threw up a jumper that went in to give Portland the win.
After a strong first shooting half, USF struggled offensive in the second stanza, hitting just 7-of-25 for a 28.0 percent clip.
Keating tied a career-high with 20 points while adding eight rebounds and two assists off the bench. Winston finished just shy of the 20-point plateau with 19 points, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Ale added 13 and
Bailey Barbour – in her first start of the season – added 10 points and six boards.
Portland's Day scored a game-high 24 points with seven rebounds. Cassandra Brown added 18 points while Kari Luttinen posted 13.
