University of San Francisco Athletics

STANFORD, Calif. — The San Francisco women's basketball team went on the road Thursday for the first time in 2018-19 and faced one of the best teams in the country in No. 7/7 Stanford, as the host Cardinal pulled away from the Dons in the second half to win the non-conference Bay Area matchup, 96-62.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Stanford was hot from beyond the arc for much of the night, making 15 treys on 46.4 percent shooting from deep. It was 3-pointers that put the Cardinal ahead by 10 in just the first three minutes of the game, it was back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter that gave it a 20-point lead, and it was 3-pointer after 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that put Stanford up by 30.
   
• Stanford came out with a hot hand in the first three minutes of the game, making all of its first five shots including four 3-pointers from four different players to take an early 10-point lead at 14-4. But San Francisco came back with five straight points of its own on a 3-pointer from Julia Nielacna and two free throws from Kia Vaalavirta to cut it to 14-9.
   
• That's when Stanford would go on a long 12-3 run that extended into the second quarter and pushed its lead to 26-12. San Francisco finally found a rhythm a few minutes into the second frame and the teams traded baskets from there. Stanford's lead wavered between 11 and 14 until it inserted a 9-2 stretch at the midway point to take a 19-point advantage at 42-23.
   
• But the Dons jumped right back into it at the close of the second, thanks in large part to the scoring efforts of Veronica Preciado. Preciado scored six consecutive points in the final two minutes of the first half as part of an 8-1 run that pulled the Dons back to within 12. Preciado went hard to the hoop on four straight possessions, drawing fouls and scoring layups while Stanford missed each of its last four shots in the quarter.
   
• Shannon Powell hit a 3-pointer to open the second half and it was an 11-1 run that brought the Dons within single digits at 43-34. But Stanford found its stroke again from deep in the second half. They made nine 3-pointers in the second half alone. Back-to-back treys in the third quarter gave them a 20-point lead at 64-44, and a flurry of four 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter gave them a 30-point advantage.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 4: San Francisco had four players score in double figures for the second straight game. Julia Nielacna led the Dons with a season-high 15 points after she was one of five Dons in double figures on Friday versus San Jose State.
• 15: Stanford made 15 3-pointers Thursday while shooting 46.9 percent from beyond the arc. Three different Cardinal players had multiple treys, while seven made at least one. Three-pointers accounted for 47 percent of Stanford's scoring in the game.
• 39: The Dons outrebounded Stanford 39-34. That included a 13-9 advantage on the offensive glass.

COMING UP

• San Francisco returns home Sunday to start a three-game home stand. The Dons host Cal Poly of the Big West Conference at 2 p.m. Sunday as part of a doubleheader with the USF men's team, who hosts LIU-Brooklyn later that night.
   
• Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.