Video highlightsSAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco women's basketball team rebounded from Monday's heartbreaker with a 74-57 victory over North Dakota on Wednesday at War Memorial at The Sobrato Center.
"It's not about the loss, it's about how we react to the loss," noted senior captain
Zhane Dikes. "For us to come back and react, play together, play smarter and clean up those errors that we had in the two past games really shows that we're a great team when we're together."
USF (3-2) reacted with gusto, particularly on the defensive end of the court, holding North Dakota (1-4) to 20 percent shooting in the first half. The Fighting Hawks could only manage four points in the first 10 minutes of the action, shooting 2-of-15 in the quarter as the Dons make short work of the boards with the 15-5 advantage on the glass.
After the period, USF was ahead 19-4 and the Dons kept the 15-point margin after
Raushan Gultekin sunk her 3-point attempt to put the score at 27-12 with 2:06 remaining in the half. Holding the 29-15 advantage at the break, the Dons doubled up the Fighting Hawks at 41-20 after
Anna Seilund's pass inside to
Taylor Proctor made it 41-20 midway through the third.
The Dons' defense continued to put the pressure on North Dakota as the visitors missed their next eight attempts from the field while USF grew the lead to 48-22 in the final minute of the third. A made layup for Dikes and successful trip to the line for the three-point play gave USF its largest lead of the night with the score at 63-32 with 5:06 to play. North Dakota managed to shrink the lead to 16 in the closing seconds of the contest, but it was too little too late as the Dons cruised to victory.
USF was led by Proctor's 20-point night, her fourth-straight contest reaching the 20-point plateau. She added eight rebounds and a game-high five assists to her stat line, and continues to show her individual prowess on the court.
"She continues to amaze me every single day; as a best friend, as a teammate, as a sister," said Dikes. "She's an amazing athlete, and I think a lot of people underestimated her. She said 'you know what Z, this is my senior year and I've got to show them what I'm all about.' She sure is showing them. I'm real proud of her."
Dikes turned in a 19-point nine-rebound game for USF, going 6-for-9 from the floor, and Howard chipped in 10 points in the victory. The USF defense held North Dakota's Mia Loyd, tabbed as Big Sky preseason Player of the Year, to 10 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes, as the senior fouled out of the contest with 5:20 remaining. Makailah Dyer finished as the Fighting Hawks' leading scorer with 11 points on a 3-for-12 shooting effort.
"It was a great team win," added Dikes. "Honestly, I think it was crucial. I think this could be the early turning point in our season."
Next up, the Dons travel to Sacramento State for a tilt with the Hornets. Saturday's tipoff is slated for 12:05 p.m.
