SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Returning to action on Saturday afternoon, the USF Dons women's basketball team (15-9, 5-7) came up short at home against the #17 Gonzaga Bulldogs (22-3, 12-1) by a 78-56 final score from War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. 

Despite Jasmine Gayles once again scoring in double figures for the Dons, USF wasn't able to get much going throughout the game as they took on the 17th ranked Bulldogs for the second time this season. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Both defenses came to work early on in Saturday's game as the Dons didn't score their first points until a Kennedy Dickie lay up at the seven minute mark. USF was able to close their deficit midway through the quarter as Ioanna Krimili connected on a deep three point shot that brought the Dons' deficit down to 15-14. Gonzaga connected on a deep three at the buzzer to build a 23-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
• The defensive battle continued into the second quarter as Kia Vaalavirta knocked down a free throw for the first points on either side that got USF within six points. The Bulldogs were able to build their lead to double digits before USF went on a 7-0 run thanks to a couple free throws from Abby Rathbun and three point hit from Dickie. Gonzaga scored one final bucket with under a minute to go as they went into halftime leading 36-27.
• Coming out of the break, USF got their first bucket of the second half on a Krimili jumper in the paint. The Dons then went through a bit of a scoring drought before back-to-back from Vaalavirta and Gayles got USF a little closer at 50-36. Gonzaga would head into the final quarter leading 61-44.
• Gonzaga went on to build their lead throughout the fourth quarter as they picked up the 78-56 victory on Saturday afternoon. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Gayles led the way for the Dons on Saturday as she scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field to go along with a pair of rebounds and assists against the Bulldogs.
• Dickie did a lot well for USF against Gonzaga as she scored 12 points on 4-for-9 from the field to go along with a pair of steals and a rebound on Saturday.
• Working her way back, Amalie Langer had a strong performance for the Dons on Saturday scoring six points and grabbing a pair of rebounds in her 21 minutes of action.

POST GAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the highlights from Thursday's game, click here.
• To view Coach Goodenbour's post game press conference, click here.

UP NEXT:
The Dons now hit the road to begin a two-game trip starting in the East Bay as they will take on the Saint Mary's Gaels (11-13, 5-8) at 6:30 p.m. from University Credit Pavillion. The Gaels picked up the 67-63 victory on the Hilltop the last time both teams faced off in January. 

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.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.