SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – In a full-team effort, the University of San Francisco women's basketball team (5-10, 2-1) earned a bounce-back win Thursday evening, defeating Pepperdine (5-11, 1-2) 83-64 at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• San Francisco came out of the gates slow as Pepperdine jumped out to a 14-7 lead at the 2:19 mark of the opening quarter. The Dons clawed back into the game, trimming the deficit to four twice in the late stages of the first. 
• Trailing 17-10 with just over a minute to go, Paula Tirado knocked down a three-pointer with 53 seconds left to cut the Waves' advantage to 17-13. The Waves responded with a mid-range jumper to extend the lead to six, 19-13 at the end of the period.
• Freja Werth opened the second quarter with a layup before the Waves used a 5-2 run to extend the lead to seven, 24-17, at the 7:45 mark.
• An offensive onslaught ensued for the Dons shortly after, using a 23-0 run to take control of the game. While on the scoring run, the green and gold took their first lead of the game, after Werth and Aya Kéita drained back-to-back three-pointers to give the team a 26-24 advantage. 
• Four players scored throughout the Dons' offensive escapade, with Werth and Kéita scoring eight points apiece.
• Despite Pepperdine connecting on two late baskets at the end of the second quarter, San Francisco entered halftime with a 13-point advantage, 42-29. 
• The Dons continued to hold their double-digit advantage throughout the third quarter, pushing the advantage to 20 after 30 minutes of play. With the Dons leading by 16, 63-47, with 47 seconds left in the third, Lorena Barbosa recorded four straight points and collected one offensive rebound to give the team a 67-47 lead.
• Pepperdine began to cut into the deficit entering the fourth quarter, getting as close as 13 points, 70-57, near the mid-way point. The Dons, however, held serve throughout the remainder of the game as Marina Hernandez game's last bucket, scoring her first points on a breakaway layup with 19 seconds left. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Werth led the team in scoring, recording 19 points on 58.3 percent (seven-for-12) shooting. Tying Kéita with three made three-point field goals, shot 50 percent (three-for-six) from distance.
• Debora dos Santos recorded her team-leading 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Shooting an efficient 66.7 percent (six-for-nine) from the field, dos Santos also shined on the defensive end, collecting two steals and one block. 
• Kéita set career highs in the win over the Waves, scoring in double figures for the first time with 14 points off the bench. During the team's 23-0 run in the second quarter, Kéita went a perfect three-for-three from the floor and knocked down both of her three-point attempts.
• Jasmine Gayles reached double figures for the seventh consecutive game after posting 18 points in a team-high 38 minutes. Gayles also collected four rebounds, tallied three assists, and connected on four of her six free-throw attempts. 
• As a team, San Francisco shot 46.7 percent (28-for-60) and won the rebounding battle over Pepperdine, 40-30. The Dons also led in multiple statistical categories including points off turnovers (18-16), points in the paint (34-24), second-chance points (13-12), and bench points (28-24).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's contest, please click here.
• To view the full postgame press conference with Head Coach Molly Goodenbour please click here.
• To view the full postgame press conference with  Freja Werth and Paula Tirado please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco continues West Coast Conference action when it hits the road to take on Pacific at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13 at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsWBB on Twitter, @USFDonsWBB on Instagram and @USFDonsWBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Corona - 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.