SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (5-10, 1-1) dropped a narrow West Coast Conference decision to Portland (9-7, 1-1), 67-60, Saturday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Portland took control in the game's opening minutes, scoring eight of the first 10 points of the first quarter to gain an 8-2 advantage at the 6:40 mark.
• Jasmine Gayles and Debora dos Santos guided the Dons on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to one. Gayles scored on a mid-range jumper while dos Santos added a layup and a free-throw to get the team back into the game, 8-7 mid-way through the quarter.
• The Pilots, however, found a way through the Dons' aggressive defense and used a 9-0 run to take a 10-point advantage, 17-7, with 46 seconds on the clock. Luana Leite trimmed the deficit to eight with 17 seconds left on a driving layup as the Dons trailed the Pilots, 17-9, and the end of the first quarter.
• An offensive spark at the start of the second quarter allowed San Francisco to cut Portland's advantage to two points, 21-19, at the 5:46 mark of the frame. Leite and Lorena Barbosa propelled the Dons on both ends of the court at the start of the quarter. Barbosa began the quarter with two free throws and a blocked shot, while Leite hit a foul-line jumper and recorded a steal that led to a Gayles fastbreak layup.
• After the Pilots extended their lead back to seven, 30-23, with under two minutes until halftime, Gayles and Dos Santos posted back-to-back layups to cut the deficit to three, 30-27, at the break.
• The Portland offense came alive at the start of the third quarter as the Pilots outscored the Dons 11-3 to gain a double-digit edge, 41-30, at the halfway mark of the period. The Pilots continued to hold a double-digit lead throughout the end of the third, leading 51-40 heading into the final quarter.
• After the Pilots scored on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, the Dons scored seven straight points as dos Santos, Gayles, and Leite cut the Pilots' lead to single-digits, 53-47, at the 5:27 mark.
• San Francisco continued to fight in the fourth quarter, getting as close as four points, 55-51, before Portland held on for the seven-point victory.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Gayles scored a game-high 23 points as she has reached the 20-point threshold in three straight games. Shooting 47.6 percent (10-for-21) from the field, Gayles matched a season-high with three made three-point baskets and grabbed four rebounds.
• Recording her ninth double-double of the season, dos Santos posted 15 points and 13 rebounds in 28 minutes.
• Freja Werth connected on three of her seven three-point attempts and finished the game with 10 points. Werth, helping the Dons on the defensive end, grabbed seven rebounds and tallied one steal.
• Barbosa was a factor defensively for the Dons, matching a career-high with seven rebounds and leading the team with two blocks.
• As a team, San Francisco held Portland to just 33.3 percent (22-for-66) from the floor, marking back-to-back conference games where the team has held its opponents to under 35 percent shooting.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of today's contest, please click here.
• To view the full postgame press conference with Associate Head Coach Janell Jones please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to action at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 11, when it hosts Pepperdine in a West Coast Conference contest at War Memorial at the Sobrato 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 – Planet Orange - 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.