SAN FRANCISCO – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team was nursing a three point lead late when the offense went cold.  The Dons were held without a field goal over the final three minutes allowing the visiting Portland Pilots sneak away with a 56-54 victory Thursday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
A sloppy first quarter by both teams quickly gave way to a tight contest that featured eight ties and eight different lead changes.  Neither team led by more than two possessions the entire contest. 
 
USF (5-7, 1-5 WCC) overcame a sluggish eight point opening quarter to finish strong offensively.  A big reason for that was the play from the reserves.  USF's bench finished with 20 points, 11 coming from Marta Galic and nine coming from Kia Vaalavirta. USF finished the night with three in double figures led by Ioanna Krimili's 13 points. Lucie Hoskova had 11 as well.
 
Portland (7-4, 4-1 WCC) continues its strong start in conference play with the win tonight.  Haylee Andrews was the only player in double figures for the Pilots, she finished with 15.
 
At the intermission, the Dons went into the locker with a four point lead, 29-25, thanks to a late bucket by Hoskova.  Her first points of the contest.  The Dons shot a blistering 57.0 percent in the second quarter, going 8-for-14.  A big part of their success was their interior play.  USF scored 12 of their 21 points in the paint. 
 
The second half was a wild affair that featured seven lead changes and five ties. The third period ended with the Dons down one, 44-43.  The fourth quarter started with Hoskova scoring three quick points, giving USF the lead. 
 
Down the stretch, USF's defense did a commendable job at holding the Pilots at bay, but the Dons could not get the bucket they needed to put the game away. With 37 seconds remaining in the contest and the Dons down three, Krimili hit a pair of free throws to make it a one point game.
 
USF's defense once again did a tremendous job and forced a shot clock violation by the Pilots giving USF seven seconds to score the game-winning field goal.  Unfortunately for the Dons, USF turned it over in the final seconds and the Pilots came away with the win.
 
USF will return to action as part of the matinee of a men's and women's basketball double header.  The Dons will host Gonzaga at noon prior to the men hosting BYU at 5:00 p.m. Saturday's game will be streamed on the WCC Network with George Devine calling the action live from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.