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WBB | Dons Take Down Chico State In Exhibition

WBB | Dons Take Down Chico State In Exhibition
The Dons' two seniors, Veronica Preciado (left) and Shannon Powell (right), were the team's leading scorers Saturday against Chico State.
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BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco women's basketball team took to the court for the first time in 2018-19 for its first action against another team, as six newcomers made their USF debuts and the Dons used strong quarters at the start of both halves to take down visiting Chico State, 71-59, in an exhibition game at War Memorial at Sobrato Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The Dons' starting lineup featured a veteran presence with a look to the future, as both of the team's seniors – Shannon Powell and Veronica Preciado – started alongside three true freshmen in their first collegiate competition – Kia Vaalavirta, Lucija Kostic and Abby Rathbun. The Dons scored 20 or more points in both the first and third quarters to get off on the right foot each time coming out of the locker room.
     
  • The first quarter was full of back-and-forth runs by both teams. Chico State scored the game's first five points, but the Dons answered with a 9-0 run to take the lead. Vaalavirta hit USF's first basket with a 3-pointer from Powell. Then the Dons seniors both made baskets before Vaalavirta capped the run with another layup. Six straight points by Shay Stark gave the Wildcats back the lead at 11-9, but again the Dons answered with a run, this time closing the quarter out on an 11-0 stretch. Four different players got in on the run, while the defense held Chico State to 0-for-7 shooting with two turnovers.
     
  • The second quarter saw the same, as the Wildcats took off on a 7-0 that included baskets from three different players to take a 26-23 lead. This time the Dons seniors played a big part in USF's answering run, as Powell made back-to-back layups to get the Dons back ahead by one, and Preciado had four points, three rebounds and an assist during what became a 16-0 stretch that crossed into the third quarter, giving San Francisco a 35-26 halftime lead and ending with a 39-26 advantage.
     
  • San Francisco exploded in the third quarter for their most points in the game with 28 to put the game out of reach. USF would lead by 22 at 63-41 at the end of three frames. Seven straight points from Preciado (3) and Powell (4) made it 48-31. Sophomore Nia Alexander scored six of her eight points in the third quarter alone.
     
  • The Dons played mainly all true freshmen in the fourth quarter, getting them valuable minutes in live action on the floor. Chico State outscored USF 18-8 in the quarter, but the damage had already been done in the third as San Francisco still won by 12.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
  • .500: Powell shot .500 from the floor (7 for 14) and scored a game-high 18 points. She was one of three Dons to score in double figures.
  • 10: Two Dons grabbed 10 rebounds. Abby Rathbun tallied a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards, and Julia Nielacna also had 10 rebounds.
  • 49: San Francisco had a big advantage on the glass, outrebounding Chico State 49-31. That included 18-9 on the offensive end. Every USF player who appeared in the game had at least two rebounds.
COMING UP
  • The Dons open the 2018-19 season at home on Nov. 9 versus South Bay foe San Jose State. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.
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