PORTLAND, Ore. – A slow start offensively and too much depth on the other side was the difference as the University of San Francisco women's basketball team fell to the Portland Pilots 69-49 on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center.
The Dons (9-17/2-12 WCC) received strong individual performances from
Mikayla Williams and
Leilah Vigil. Williams finished in double figures for the 18
th time this season, notching a game-high 23 points, while going 8-for-18 from the field and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Vigil missed her 14
th double-double by one rebound – she finished with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Portland's (16-10/9-6 WCC) depth was the difference today. Eleven Pilots saw action, with eight playing eight or more minutes. Four Portland players finished in double figures, led by Haylee Andrews' 16 points. Joining her in double figures were Alex Fowler (14), Kate Andersen (11), and Lauren Walker (10).
"We need our scorers to score, Mikayla, Leilah – Lucie needs to take more than six shots in a game," said head coach
Molly Goodenbour. "Mikayla and Leilah can't go 1-for-12 combined to start the game. If we are going to be scorers we need to be scorers consistently. We have four more opportunities in the regular season and our scorers need to show up. My hope is that we come back and have good practices this week and that the team that shows up most nights shows up, but that team didn't come to play today."
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Dons, who average 15.6 points in the first quarter, were held to just seven thanks to a 2-for-15 shooting performance. USF went just 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Pilots shot 46.7 percent from the field, going 7-for-15. A 13-3 run to begin the contest gave the Pilots a 10-point cushion.
• With 51 seconds in the first half, Williams made a layup that cut the deficit to six, at 13-7. That was as close as the Dons would get. In the second quarter the Pilots, bolstered by an 18-4 run, led by as many as 22. A layup by Williams in the final minute closed the game to 20, and the Dons went into the locker room trailing 39-19.
• In the second half the Dons competed with the Pilots. The two teams were even in the paint at 20 apiece. In the first half the Pilots had a 22-10 advantage in the key. USF also cut down on the turnovers in the second half – six compared to eight in the first and second quarter.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
2: The Dons struggled again from beyond the arc – going just 2-for-9 from 3-point range. It is their second-fewest made 3-point field goals of the season. That tied with their 2-for-13 performance at San Diego on Jan. 25.
20: The Dons fall to 2-2 on the year when Williams scores 20 or more. They entered the game 2-1 when Williams scores at least 20. In two games against the Pilots this year, Williams has scored 20 and 23, respectively.
78.6%: USF turned in another strong outing from the free throw line. The Dons went 11-for-14 from the charity stripe (78.6%). It is the fourth-straight game north of 70% from the free throw line.
COMING UP
The Dons will play their final home games this week, with a pair of matches on the Hilltop. The Dons play their penultimate game on Thursday, Feb. 20 against San Diego. That game is slated for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. USF wraps up the home slate on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Noon, hosting BYU. Saturday's game against the Cougars will be part of a double header with the men taking on Pepperdine at 3:00 p.m. Tickets for next week's game are available at
USFDons.com/wbbtix.
Please mark your calendars for the Hall of Fame Dinner on February 21st at 6:30 PM in the McClaren Conference Center on USF's campus. We will honor our Dons of the Year, Kevin and Susan Hanley, as well as our inductees that include Dior Lowhorn (men's basketball, 2010), Joy Boyenga (women's basketball, 1992), and Kyle Zimmer (baseball, 2012). Tickets are available now at
usfdons.com/halloffame.
