SAN FRANCISCO – For the first time since the 1995-96 season, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team has won six-consecutive West Coast Conference games.  The Dons extended their winning-streak after defeating visiting Pacific 75-67 on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
Following today's win, USF (11-8, 7-6 WCC) is over .500 in conference play for the first time since February 2018.  The Dons finished the day with four in double figures led by Ioanna Krimili who had a game-high 24.  Marta Galic matched her career-high with 20 points off the bench, Lucie Hoskova had 14 and Amalie Langer chipped in 12.
 
Krimili finished 4-for-12 from beyond the arc, the four 3-point field goals give her 68 for the season. She is now tied with Rachel Howard for third most in a single season in USF history.  Krimili trails Shay Hollins for the record.  Hollins made 75 in 2007-08 and set the record against in 2008-08 with 77.  
 
"It was another great team win," said head coach Molly Goodenbour. "We were really resilient. We got down there in the third quarter and the kids really dug in and got some big defensive stops and changed the tempo of the game.  During that run in the third Pacific was scoring, scoring, scoring for a stretch and our kids came out and made big plays, they made big stops, made big shots when they needed to."
 
The Dons shot 37.1 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range going 11-for-32. It is the first time since the winning streak began that the Dons shot under 40.0 percent for the game.  Defense played a big factor in the win. The Dons finished the day with nine steals that led to 15 fast break points.
 
"I thought Marta Galic came in and gave us not only some great offense, she was really tough getting some rebounds," said Goodenbour. "She gave us a major lift.  Lucie Hoskova, again was attacking the basket and did a great job.  Amalie Langer was 8-for-9 from the free throw line.  Just a lot of good team things that you need to do to keep a winning streak alive.  Our kids are playing with confidence and finding ways to win games.  They are a fun group to coach."
 
Galic and Lucija Kostic finished with a team-high seven rebounds apiece.  They were two of four Dons who had six or more rebounds.
 
Pacific (6-8, 4-7 WCC) finished with three in double figures and was led by all-conference guard Valerie Higgins who had 19 points and 16 rebounds for a double-double.  Brooklyn McDaniel had 15 points along with nine rebounds and Lianna Tillman had 11 points.
 
The Tigers made life difficult for the Dons on the glass today.  UOP outrebounded the Dons 48-39 with 14 of those coming on the offensive side of the ball; which led to 14 second chance points.
 
Where the Dons excelled today was the charity stripe and three-point defense.  The Dons were 18-for-22 from the free throw line and held the Tigers to just 11.1 percent from beyond the arc, going 2-for-18. Pacific was just 1-for-11 from long range in the second half.
 
USF led by as much as 10 in the first half and went into the locker room leading 37-29. Out of the break, the Tigers went on an 8-0 run to tie the game up.  With 4:20 in the third quarter Higgins made a layup and got the foul for a 3-point play Tigers a 44-42 lead. 
 
With the Tigers owning the momentum, the Dons buckled down.  USF responded with an 11-0 run with Galic accounting for five of those.  The final points came via a 3-point field goal with 1:52 in the quarter that made the Dons' bench erupt.
 
In the fourth period the Tigers continued to own the key. Pacific finished the afternoon with 38 points in the paint. However, they could pull closer than three.  With 6:23 in the quarter Pacific's Rosie Schweizer scored two of her eight points, cutting the Dons lead to three, 55-52.
 
USF countered with a layup from Langer, giving the Dons a five-point cushion.  They were able to push their lead to as much as nine in the final period.  Free throws down the stretch playing a crucial factor.  The Dons were 10-for-13 from the line in the fourth quarter, Langer was 6-for-7 to help put the game on ice.
 
USF will return to action on Thursday when they travel to Spokane, Wash., to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs.  Gonzaga is the only team in the conference with a longer winning-streak than USF's.  It currently stands at 15.  The Dons and Bulldogs will tip off at 5:00 p.m. from the McCarthy Athletic Center.  The game will be streamed on the WCC Network.