Mitchell Lobetos
Staff Writer
After losing two straight games the Dons reeled off two straight victories, a blowout against North Dakota (3-5) and a thriller against Sacramento State (1-3).
Last Friday’s nail biter against Sacramento was a back and forth game that stayed tipped back and forth throughout the entire game. During the first quarter the Hornets jumped to a 9-point lead on two different occasions but by quarters end the Dons were able to keep the gap at five points, 22-27. In the second quarter San Francisco ripped off a 17-2 run to take a 10-point lead 39-29 with 4:31 remaining in the half. The topper on the run was a layup by senior forward Taylor Proctor which came after two offensive rebounds after a missed layup and missed jumper. Proctor had a solid 8-point second quarter. Sacramento kept climbing back bit-by-bit during the third quarter but the Dons never gave up the lead, the Hornets only came as close as four points and by the end of the third quarter that’s where it stood, 66-62 Dons. With 5:27 left in the fourth quarter Sacramento was finally able to tie the game up at 77 thanks to a layup on the break. The score tied up twice more at 79 and 85 points. With a four-point 91-87 lead San Francisco had 90 seconds to close out the game and were nearly outdone by three turnovers in the final minute and a half. The Hornets forced the Dons to shoot free throws to keep the lead and they did just that. Both junior guard Rachel Howard and junior forward Claudia Price each hit a pair of clutch free throws. Sacramento hauled a buzzer beating three to pretty up the score but it wasn’t enough as USF took the win 95-94. Howard and Proctor lead the way with 25 and 24 points respectively and they each blocked two shots. The team dominated on the glass 52-31 and dominated in the paint with 48 points.
Against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks the Dons had there way all night long. To start the game San Francisco jumped out to a 7-0 lead. By the end of the first quarter USF was up 17-4 and held the Hawks to 2-of-14 shooting. In the second quarter North Dakota finally found some rhythm and kept pace with the Dons only getting outscored 11 to 12, San Francisco went into halftime with a comfortable 29-15 lead. The third quarter was eerily similar to the first for the Fighting Hawks, getting outscored 9 to 19. In the fourth quarter North Dakota went on an offensive explosion and put up 33 points but the Dons scored 29 points of their own en route to a solid 74-57 victory. USF defense shined bright as they held the Hawks to a 33% 19 for 57 shooting night. Proctor stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. Senior guard Zhane Dikes also had a quality game with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
With these two wins in hand and a 4-2 record, San Francisco tips off again at home on Friday Dec. 5th at 6PM against UC Riverside (3-3). Be sure to go out and support the Dons at War Memorial or follow live stats on usfdons.com
At time of print the score of the game score against Nevada was unavailable.
Photo courtesy of Dons Athletics
