Jan. 31, 2003

Box Score

(Malibu, CA) - USF used hot shooting (.571) in the second half to seize a 71-61 victory against Pepperdine in West Coast Conference women's action Friday at Firestone Field House. The Lady Dons (7-13; 2-4 WCC) win their first game in Malibu since the 1997 campaign downing the Waves (13-6, 5-1 WCC) for the first time since the 2001 WCC Tournament.

It took USF nearly 90 minutes to reach Malibu from Santa Monica due to traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway and both teams looked sluggish in the first half with the two schools combining for 13 field goals. USF shot better, converting on .280 (7-25), while Pepperdine just shot .200 (6-30) for the first half en route to trail the Lady Dons by a 24-17 halftime score.

In the second half, San Francisco went .800 (4-5) from beyond the 3-point line and fought off several furious Wave rallies to secure the win. Junior forward Carey Sauer was a key component in the second half, scoring all 13 of her points after the intermission. Freshman guard Toni Russell was also huge for USF, scoring 15 points to go along with seven assists. Russell also was clutch at the free throw line, converting on 11-of-12 at the stripe.

Sophomore center Leeane Jensen lead the way for San Francisco, who snapped a four-game losing streak, with a game-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds in 33 minutes to lead four Lady Dons in double-figure scoring. Freshman guard Joy Hollingsworth also added a couple of big buckets, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds.

With the win, San Francisco improves to 5-6 on the road this season and wins its first game of the season when losing the battle of the boards. Pepperdine, aided by their dismal shooting held a 49-35 advantage, including a huge 28-7 edge on the offensive glass. Pepperdine finished shooting at a .297 (22-74), but connected on .300 (9-30) from beyond the arc. Junior guard Tamara McDonald led the way with 16 points for the Waves and hit four 3-pointers, all coming in the second half.

USF returns to action when they play Loyola Marymount at Gersten Pavilion Saturday, looking to complete their first Los Angeles sweep since 1997. Game time against the Lions is scheduled for 7:00 PM.