SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A slow start led to a wild finish Wednesday, as the San Francisco women's basketball team got out to a big first half lead, then pulled away late for an 86-75 non-conference win over Sacramento State at The Nest.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The host Hornets (3-2) entered the game as the nation's top scoring offense at 95.0 points per game, and the Dons (3-5) had not scored less than 62 points in a game all season. But five minutes in, the game was only tied at 8-8. San Francisco would find its rhythm 3 1/2 minutes in, however. The Dons made five straight baskets – including three from Nia Alexander – and went on a 17-0 run that gave them a substantial 21-8 lead. The run would eventually mature into a 24-5 stretch that put USF up 28-13 at quarter's end. The run included 3-pointers from Sacramento native Veronica Preciado and fellow senior Shannon Powell. San Francisco went 10 for 15 from the floor during the run after starting the quarter just 2 for 5.
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- San Francisco carried its momentum into the second quarter, growing its lead to 20 points by making its first five attempts. Alexander was back in the mix, making two of those. The run was accented by another triple from Preciado to put USF up 39-19 just two minutes into the second quarter. Sacramento State chipped into the lead with an 8-0 run to make it a 13-point contest, and the teams traded baskets from there in the final three minutes of the half to make it 52-39 at halftime.
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- And then after halftime, it was deja vu all over again for the Dons. Sacramento State came right back in the third quarter and nearly erased what had been a 21-point USF lead in the second. They outscored San Francisco 21-9 in the frame and held the Dons to just 4 for 14 shooting (28.6 percent) after they shot 55.3 percent in the first half. That erased what was a 13-point halftime lead for USF and whittled it all the way down to just a one-point game at 61-60 through three periods. In the Dons' last game at Idaho on Saturday, they held a 13-point halftime lead that was cut to one after the third quarter.
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- And just like Saturday at Idaho, Sacramento State took a lead at the 6:44 mark of the fourth - its first since the first quarter - on a layup from Kennedy Nicholas. That gave them a 67-66 advantage. This time, however, USF answered back with a quick 6-0 run that included baskets from three different players to go back up by five at 73-68. USF would not trail again, as the 6-0 run evolved into an 19-7Â stretch that USF finished the game with. Preciado hit a big 3-pointer with 1:49 left in the game to put the Dons up by nine at 81-72, all but sealing the victory.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 18: Alexander set a new career high with 18 points. She went 9 for 12 from the floor and also had three rebounds, two assists and four steals.
- 22: Sacramento State pulled down 22 offensive boards, which led to 24 second-chance points. But the Dons moved to 3-3 on the season when getting outrebounded on the offensive glass.
- 25: Powell set a new career high with 25 points. She logged her previous high of 24 last season versus Loyola Marymount in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament on March 1.
- 40.0: The Dons shot 40.0 percent (6 for 15) from 3-point range Wednesday after going just 1 for 15 on Saturday at Idaho.
COMING UP
- San Francisco takes a 10-day hiatus before returning to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on Dec. 15 to host defending Big West Conference champion UC Davis. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.
