SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The USF women's basketball team put together its best shooting performance in a road game this year while getting some timely individual shooting performances en route to a 73-67 win over Cal Poly at Mott Athletics Center on Saturday evening.
 
Junior guard Anna Seilund led all scorers with 20 points on the night, but made her biggest mark at the free throw line where she helped ice the game by knocking down eight consecutive free throws over the final 36 seconds. Seilund went a perfect 10-for-10 from the line overall and pitched in with a game-high four steals on the defensive end.   
 
"I think tonight we were finally able to pull through and keep fighting and have poise," said Seilund, who ended up two points shy of her career high of 22, which she established in the Dons' last outing versus San Jose State on Dec. 6. "Our previous games we've come out strong and then had a dip. Basketball is a game of runs and it comes down to who can minimize those runs. I think tonight we showed that we stuck to our game plan and I think that's what got us this win tonight."
 
Freshman guard Nia Alexander turned in her own impressive shooting night by connecting on all five of her field goal attempts, including going 3-for-3 from the perimeter, to score a career-high 14 points. Kalyn Simon scored 16 and grabbed seven rebounds as well.
 
USF (6-4) shot 40.7 (24-59) from the field overall, their best mark in a road contest so far this year. The Dons came into the contest shooting 10 percent lower on the road versus at home.
 
Despite the clutch shooting from the field late in the game, USF didn't actually earn its first free throw attempt until just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter, at which point Cal Poly (4-6) had already attempted 17 free throws of their own.
 
"We weren't attacking," added Seilund. "They were attacking and we got called for a lot of fouls and we started to get frustrated with that. But as the game goes on you've got to keep doing what is going to get you to the line."
 
The Mustangs, who came into the game ranked 17^th in the nation at 78.2 percent from the charity stripe, ended up shooting just 65.6 percent (21-32) on the night.
 
After carrying a 17-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, USF stretched its advantage to a game-high eight points on Alexander's jumper with 5:37 to play in the first half. But Cal Poly answered with six straight to kickstart a brief rally that saw them take a 29-28 lead with just over a minute to play. However, Seilund's three-pointer with three seconds on the clock allowed the Dons to take a 31-29 lead into the break.

Cal Poly led for much of the third quarter as Lynn Leaupepe scored 12 of her team-best 15 in the frame.
 
The Mustangs carried their advantage for most of the first five minutes of the fourth quarter until Alexander knocked down a three that put the Dons up 59-58 with 4:52 to play. A jumper by Rachel Howard with 1:09 remaining gave USF the lead for good.
 
The Dons move on to face another Big West opponent in UC Davis at 1 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. The contest will be USF's final nonconference matchup before opening West Coast Conference play at San Diego on Dec. 29.