2016 West Coast Conference Tournament Champions
Head Coach: Jennifer Azzi
Overall Record: 21-12 WCC Record: 9-9
All-WCC Team: Taylor Proctor (first team), Zhané Dikes (second team), Rachel Howard (honorable mention)
WCC All-Tournament Team: Taylor Proctor (Tournament MVP), Zhané Dikes
Top Scorer: Taylor Proctor (18.4) Top Rebounder: Taylor Proctor (8.3)
Almost a decade since their last WCC championship, the Dons made an improbable run through the conference tournament to claim the WCC Tournament title at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. After an 18-11 regular season (9-9 in WCC play), the Dons entered the WCC Tournament as a No. 6 seed and proceeded to reel off three straight wins to capture the conference crown, their first since 1996-97.
In their tournament opener against No. 3-seed San Diego, Taylor Proctor banked in a three-point shot with 0.7 seconds to play in regulation to tie the game at 73 and help force overtime, punctuating a comeback from 12 points down early in the third quarter. USF nabbed the lead with 2:39 remaining in the extra period - seeing its first lead on the scoreboard since there was 5.9 seconds remaining in the first quarter - and went on to capture the 84-80 overtime victory. Rachel Howard finished the game with a team-high 26 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor and a 5-of-6 effort from three.
Next up was No. 2-seed Saint Mary's, where the Dons were up 64-63 with 10.4 ticks to play when Zhané Dikes earned a trip to the line. The typically steady shooter and USF record-holder for career made free throws missed both of her attempts. On the ensuing SMC inbound, Anna Seilund got a hand on the ball and USF regained possession. With eight seconds to play, Proctor sunk both free throw attempts to stretch the USF lead to four, and give USF the cushion it needed to hold on for the 67-65 victory. USF was paced by 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from Proctor, her 26th career double-double.
In the finals, the Dons were matched up with regular season-champion and No. 1-seed BYU, who had handed USF two losses during the regular season. Like their previous two contests to get to that point, USF had to claw back from behind as BYU carried a 15-point lead at the end of the first quarter. By the halftime break, USF had cut the margin to five. The Dons finally gained their first lead of the afternoon when Dikes connected on both of her free throw attempts with 17.2 ticks to play, helping propel USF to the 70-68 upset. Proctor, the Tournament MVP, led all scorers with 27 points and 10 rebounds, her 11th double-double of the season, and Dikes added 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the win.
Did You Know? As the No. 6-seed, the Dons, who were making their second consecutive trip to the tournament final, became the lowest seed to ever capture the conference crown. The 15-point comeback in the finals win over BYU was the largest comeback of the season for the Dons.
They Said It: "My best word to describe the team would be relentless," noted senior and All-Tournament team selection Zhané Dikes. "I mean, if you guys could see us in practice, we get down to the nitty gritty. We're practically killing each other out there. We just want to play as hard as we can play."
