Dons Overpower Waves for Sixth Straight Victory

Saturday, January 4

San Francisco, Calif.

2:00 p.m.

University of San Francisco

8-6,5-0WCC

Pepperdine

6-8,1-4WCC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Pepperdine	11	12	20	17	60
San Francisco	19	23	14	20	76

Photo by: Christina Leung

1/4/2025 6:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's basketball team (8-6, 5-0 WCC) overpowered Pepperdine (6-8, 1-4 WCC) 76-60, extending its winning streak to six games, Saturday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

San Francisco opened the first quarter with six straight points as Debora dos Santos and Emma Trawally Porta scored to give the Dons an early advantage at the 7:34 mark. Following a Pepperdine free throw, the green and gold added four more points, with Freja Werth and Trawally Porta connecting on easy layups for a 10-1 lead at 5:42.
Pepperdine answered, cutting its deficit to three, 12-9, with an 8-2 run in the following two minutes. Chloe Sotell shined during the run, scoring five of the Waves' eight points to regain momentum.
Leading 14-11 at 3:15, the Dons expanded their lead with back-to-back baskets, a layup from dos Santos, and a Lorena Barbosa three-pointer to push the margin to eight, 19-11, at the end of the opening 10 minutes.
The Dons' advantage quickly ballooned to 17 at the start of the second quarter, 28-11, following a 9-0 scoring run with the tandem of Trawally Porta, dos Santos, and Werth led the charge.
Continuing to score, San Francisco pushed its lead to 21, 37-16, after Aya Kéita knocked down a three-pointer for her first basket at 4:48.
Holding the double-digit edge in the final four minutes, the Dons led by 19, 42-23, at the halftime break. Dos Santos finished the half with a layup and a three-point opportunity after getting fouled underneath the basket.
Pepperdine trimmed San Francisco's advantage to single digits, 42-33, at the 7:18 mark of the third quarter, scoring 10 unanswered points to begin the second half.
Shortly after, points from Werth and dos Santos helped guide the green and gold to a 14-point lead, 47-33, two minutes later.
Trading baskets throughout the rest of the quarter, San Francisco held a 56-43 lead after Pepperdine's Ornela Muca knocked down two free throws with two seconds remaining.
Coming out fast in the fourth quarter, Angeliki Ziaka scored five straight points to help push the lead to 18, 68-50, at 4:50. After a Makena Mastora three-pointer, dos Santos guided the program on a 6-2 run, scoring in three-straight possessions for a 74-55 advantage.
Ziaka scored the Dons' final basket on a layup at 1:23 before the Waves recorded three free throws to close out the game.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Dos Santos totaled a season-best 26 points on 62.5 percent (10-for-16) shooting in 30 minutes of action. Her 10 made field goals also matched a season-high while guiding the Dons defensively with eight rebounds and four blocks.
Recording her best shooting performance of the season, Werth scored 22 points, connecting on seven of her 10 field-goal attempts. She also added seven rebounds, second-best on the team, and two steals.
As a team, San Francisco dominated Pepperdine in points in the paint (42-20), rebounds (37-29), and second-chance points (14-4).
The double-digit win also marks the first time in program history San Francisco has defeated five-straight WCC opponents by 10 or more points in a single season.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

To view the full postgame interview with Head Coach Molly Goodenbour, please click here.
To view the full postgame interview with Debora dos Santos and Freja Werth, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to the road, traveling to the Pacific Northwest to take on Oregon State at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9, at Gill Coliseum.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women'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 – Catholic Charities – 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.