SAN FRANCISCO – A string of tough losses was vanquished from the memory of the San Francisco women's basketball team, as the Dons took the 85-68 wire-to-wire win over Portland Saturday at War Memorial Gym.

For USF, the victory is the 10th of the season as the Dons now stand at 10-7 (1-5 WCC). Portland, on the other hand, drops to the bottom of the conference standings falling to 2-14 (0-5 WCC).

"I think this game for us was a lot about our mindset," head coach Jennifer Azzi said. "It's very hard to have lost our last – before the Gonzaga game – three games by a total of six points, and our team has been playing so well, but we didn't turn the corner in those games. Coming into this game, I am very impressed with how hard our team played, how well they played together."

The togetherness was seen with a well-rounded box score in which every available woman on the USF roster took to the court. The Dons finished with five double-digit scorers, led by Taylor Proctor's 23 points and eight rebounds. The tally stands as her ninth consecutive game with at least 10 points and the 14th of the season.

Zhane Dikes finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists for USF, as the junior from Las Vegas was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Paige Spietz added 12 points and a career-high five blocks. Freshman Anna Seilund, also hot from the outside, finished with 11 points and 3-for-6 shooting from distance and two steals. Aundrea Gordon inserted herself in the starting lineup and compiled 11 points and a career-high six assists.

The Dons' unselfishness and synergy on the hardwood was evidenced by 22 total assists. The season-best team tally is a mark that hasn't been seen since the Dons faced off with Sacramento State Dec. 1, 2010. To find the last time USF compiled 22 assists in a West Coast Conference game, a look back at the 2007-08 season is required.

After winning the opening tip for the 15th time on the season, the Dons opened the game with the first three baskets off the hands of Spietz, Taj Winston and Proctor, and USF was off to the races. The Pilots tried to counter with volume shooting from the outside, and the tactic allowed Portland to stay in the game early. After 3-pointers from Kari Luttinen and Cassandra Brown, the Pilots trailed 12-10 with 13:46 to play in the first.

USF answered with a 3-pointer from Proctor to start a 17-3 run, capped by a dish from Seilund to Claudia Price to make it 29-13 with 8:21 on the clock. The Dons maintained the gap for the duration of the half, and went into the break with the 43-30 lead shooting 58.6 percent from the field.

The second period was more evenly matched on the stat sheet, but the knockout punch had already been delivered to the Pilots. USF cruised to the 85-68 victory to pick up their first win in WCC play after a string of four games decided by a total of 17 points all went the way of the opponent.

The Dons finished the day with 38 points in the paint, to go along with a 9-of-15 effort from beyond the arc as USF took advantage of every point-getting opportunity. All told, USF finished the game shooting a season-high 55.9 percent from the field, as the offense was firing on all cylinders.

"I was impressed with the way that our players shot the ball tonight, especially from the 3-point line," Azzi noted. "That's something that we've definitely stressed. When you have Aundrea shooting the ball well, Anna shooting the ball well, and Taylor and Z hitting some threes today too, it just opens up the floor."

Turning in a dominating performance throughout, USF won the battle of the boards 40 to 29, outshot Portland 39 to 56 percent, assisted on 22 scoring plays compared to the Pilots' tally of 12 and ended the night with the eight to one advantage in blocks.

"It's obvious with our record that we had a rough stretch, but the margins of those games were so small," Azzi said. "We keep telling our team you're right there, and I'm very proud of their mindset and that they didn't go on that downward spiral that I think happens to a lot of teams.

"There are reasons why there are winning streaks and there are losing streaks, it's not necessarily that one team is the best or the worst, it's just – it's a mindset. It is easy to go the other way, but we've fought since day one and this team has fought since day one and no one around here is giving up, that's for sure."

Next, USF welcomes in Santa Clara to cap off the three-game homestand. But before the team heads back out on the court, Azzi's achievements as a player and beyond will be recognized by the NCAA as she receives the Silver Anniversary Award Friday night in Washington, D.C. After the East Coast swing for USF's head coach, the Dons and the Broncos meet Saturday at 2 p.m., at War Memorial Gym. 

LISTEN - Aundrea Gordon and Taylor Proctor talk to George Devine after the game (via SnappyTV):

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