SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- It was a tremendous bounce back performance from the USF Dons women's basketball team (14-13, 8-7) on Thursday evening as they took care of business on their home floor defeating the Portland Pilots (16-7, 6-5) 80-72 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. 

The win evened the Dons and Pilots in the WCC standings as the season reaches its final three regular season games. Ioanna Krimili was on fire throughout as she set a new career-high with 38 points in the win over Portland. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Both offenses came to play with both sides trading baskets in the early portions with the Dons creating a bit of separation with a 23-19 lead after the first quarter.
• USF carried that four point advantage throughout the second quarter as they led 42-38 at the break thanks in large part to 20 first half points from Krimili to lead the Dons.
• Portland responded with a strong third quarter with their defense stepping up the intensity to head into the fourth quarter leading 53-52.
• The early minutes of the fourth remained close with neither team stretching the lead until an Amalie Langer three extended USF's lead to six as they went on to win 80-72 for their ninth victory at home this season. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• It was a career night for the sophomore from Heraklion as Krimili scored her 38 points going 10-for-21 from the field as well as 13-for-16 from the free throw line to go along with five assists, three rebounds and a steal for USF.
• Pressed into the starting lineup, freshman forward Claudia Langarita played a key role in the victory with 15 points and four rebounds to go along with an assist, block and a steal.
• Kennedy Dickie was a force on both ends of the floor as she scored 11 points, grabbed seven rebounds and set a new career-high with five steals in the win over the Pilots.
• Jessica McDowell-White did a lot of the dirty work in the victory as she grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists while scoring four points as she did a great job of setting up her teammates.

CATCHING UP WITH COACH GOODENBOUR:
"It was great to get back in the win column with this game tonight. Our team was excited to get back on the court after a tough loss to Gonzaga on Saturday. Io put us on her back with her scoring and tenacity. She was not going to be denied tonight, it was awesome to see her have a great scoring night and for us to get the win. Jess did a great job as floor leader and was able to snag nine rebounds and I thought we took care of the ball which was one of our goals. We knew we needed to do a good job of handling their press. It was a great team win."

UP NEXT:
The Dons are now heading back on the road to take on the Pepperdine Waves (8-13, 4-8) this Saturday in Malibu at 2:00 p.m. USF won the first meeting between the two schools on the Hilltop 78-57 thanks in part to a 25 point performance from Krimili on her home floor. 

TICKETS AND MERCHANDISE:
Single-game tickets for West Coast Conference basketball games are currently on sale at www.usfdons.com/tickets. 

Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at www.usfdons.com/shop.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF women's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.