SAN FRANCISCO — As the whistle blew on Mikayla Williams' charge, University of San Francisco women's basketball head coach Molly Goodenbour threw up her hands and shook her head.
 
Having already seen her Dons come back from a double-digit deficit in the first half, with a chance to do it again with a minute left on Thursday against Portland, leading scorer Williams was called for a charge.
 
The change of possession stifled the momentum the Dons' women's basketball team had built over the final four minutes and ultimately handed a 73-66 West Coast Conference win to the Pilots. On a night where San Francisco won the rebounding battle, shot 48% and came back from an 11-point deficit, it was ultimately perimeter shooting and a tough 40-minute press that did the Dons in.
 
"I think we probably got tired and a little fatigued," Goodenbour said. "Post players breaking the press for 40 minutes, they're bound to get a little tired."
 
Williams — among three in double figures — netted her seventh double-double of the season (20 points and 13 rebounds), giving San Francisco at least one in nine of its last 11 games. San Francisco also got 21 points from Lucie Hoskova and 15 more from WCC rebounding leader Leilah Vigil. The Dons dished out 17 assists on 24 buckets and won the rebounding battle 37-28. Against a team that shot 33.1% from beyond the 3-point arc, that should have been enough.
 
"Our analytics told us that they don't shoot very well, and they shot very well against us," Goodenbour said.
 
Once again faced with more than half the roster unavailable due to injury or illness, the Dons (7-11, 0-6 WCC) played a lineup almost entirely composed of forwards and Portland took advantage. The Pilots (10-7, 3-3), who came in averaging 18.6 3-point attempts per game (and 6.1 makes), went 10-of-28 from beyond the 3-point arc, led by a 3 for 5 effort from the WCC's leading scorer, Alex Fowler, one of three Pilots to hit multiple 3-pointers.
 
The energy it took to close out on perimeter shooters, along with the energy it took to break the Pilots' full-court press, eventually took a toll. Portland scored 22 points off of 21 San Francisco turnovers.
 
The Dons, though, were strong early with the ball, turning it over only six times in the first half. And even with the Pilots shooting 58.8% in the first quarter (including 5-of-8 from 3-point range), San Francisco didn't let the game get out of hand and went on a 12-0 run late in the second quarter to erase an 11-point deficit, tying things up at 35 on a Williams elbow jumper off a dish from her roommate Hoskova as the buzzer sounded.
 
The Dons got out to a six-point lead in the third quarter, shooting 7 for 11 from the field, but the continued press from the Pilots forced five more turnovers and they took a one-point lead. Portland then hit six of its first nine shots of the fourth quarter, forced 10 more turnovers and once again built a double-digit lead.
 
"They did some things against our zone that spread us out, made it difficult to get to their shooters," Goodenbour said. "They made some adjustments to their zone press, where they were running people at us, and between our fatigue and having Abby [Rathbun] and Lucie trying to handle the ball up there, they don't always see what they need to see."
 
Portland point guard Haylee Andrews (24 points) and Fowler (17 points) shot a combined 15-of-26 from the field, with Andrews' shooting drawing defenders to her, enabling her to kick out to open shooters for eight assists.
 
"Very tough to defend [Andrews and Fowler] man, so we played some zone, taking our chances trying to get to their shooters," Goodenbour said. "They get some offensive rebounds, they kick it out and find shooters, we turn the ball over, they find some shooters. I thought when we could play in the half court, our defense was not bad. But, when we're turning the ball over and taking bad shots, it's leading to easier baskets for them."
 
Then the Dons began to press. A reviewed 3-pointer by Hoskova cut the lead to seven, a Kia Vaalavirta challenge forced a missed triple at the top of the arc and Williams pulled down a board to lead the up-court break. Williams, though, was called for a charge in the paint with a minute to go. A free throw, a turnover and another Portland bucket all but sealed things for the Pilots.
 
"That was a tough call," Goodenbour said. "But, we had opportunities. We just had too many turnovers. That's the story of our conference play. We just have to take care of the ball."