Strong Start Not Enough as Dons Fall to San Diego

Saturday, January 25

San Diego, Calif.

2 p.m.

University of San Francisco

7-13, 2-7WCC

San Diego

18-2, 7-2WCC

Team	1	2	F
San Francisco	27	31	58
San Diego	35	41	76

Zhané Dikes led USF's scoring with 14 points in the 76-58 loss.

Photo by: Mike Johnstone

1/25/2014 5:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The San Francisco Dons women's basketball team opened the game with the lead, hoping to nab the first win by a visiting team at Jenny Craig Pavilion this season. However, plagued by turnovers – both forced and unforced – the Dons dropped the early lead and eventually the game, 76-58, Saturday afternoon.

The Dons were paced by 14 points and a 10-of-12 effort from the line and two assists for Zhané Dikes. Rachel Howard posted 13 points, and Taylor Proctor's seven rebounds led the team.

For San Diego, Malina Hood led all scorers with 20 points, with Amy Kame adding 13 points and eight assists. Sophia Ederaine added 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the game.

In a reversal of Thursday's game which saw the Dons commit a season-low five turnovers, the Toreros pressured USF into 21 turnovers. Those miscues with the ball led to 27 San Diego points, and proved to be a difference-maker in the contest.

USF opened the game with the first eight points of the contest, with Paige Spietz converting two from the line to start the scoring run. After an empty possession for the Toreros, Spietz pulled down an offensive rebound which was converted into points by Proctor.

Two more unsuccessful offensive trips by San Diego continued its drought. Howard layed it in to give the Dons an 8-0 advantage, its largest lead of the game, and force a Toreros timeout with 16:02 in the first period.

After missing its first eight attempts from the field, San Diego got on the board with a three-point play by Alysse Barlow, which ignited a 13-3 run. Kame edged the Toreros within one after capitalizing on a USF turnover. San Diego got its first lead of the game after Kame got another basket with 10:15 to play in the half and the score at 12-11.

The teams went basket-for-basket, exchanging the lead seven times before a Barlow triple put the Toreros up for good with 7:38 to go in the first. Four straight points from the Dons from the line – from Howard and Dikes – put the score at a one-possession game with San Diego up 29-27 with 2:14 remaining.

The Toreros scored the final six points in the half to grow its advantage to 35-27 at the midpoint break.

Spietz started the second much like the first, earning the first points of the period. After her putback to start the second half, Taj Winston's layup with 16:34 to play pulled the Dons within three with the game at 39-36. However, San Diego's offense came to life scoring 11 of the next 14 points in the contest. The Toreros grew the lead to 50-39 after Malina Hood hit a pair from the stripe with 11:42 on the clock.

San Diego would go on to win 76-58, and keep its 18-game home winning streak, dating back to last season, intact. The Toreros held a slight edge in the game from the field, hitting 38 percent of its shot compared to USF's 36.7 percent shooting. The difference was seen as San Diego finished the game 6-of-19 from 3-point range, while the Dons were 1-of-8 from the game from long distance.

The Toreros, currently sitting in second in the West Coast Conference, improve to 18-2 (7-2 WCC) and sport a 13-0 home record on the year. The Dons move to 7-13 (2-7 WCC) after dropping its sixth game in a row.

USF hits the road again next week, with a pair in the Pacific Northwest. Up first, the Dons take on Portland Thursday at 7 p.m.