Feb. 23, 2002

Box Score

(Spokane) - USF got a season-high 19 points from junior guard Alicia Hernandez and 15 points from senior guard Lindsey Huff and rolled to a 72-67 West Coast Conference victory against Gonzaga in the WCC regular season finale Saturday in The Kennel. With the win, the Lady Dons (17-10, 9-5 WCC) win their fifth straight game, spoiling the Bulldogs' (11-17, 2-12) senior night and kept the Zags winless at home during league action.

With the victory, San Francisco also wins a share of second place in the WCC regular season standings, coupled with a Santa Clara win against league leading Pepperdine, a San Diego victory against Loyola Marymount and a Portland win against Saint Mary's. The Lady Dons own identical 9-5 WCC records with Santa Clara and Saint Mary's, but the Broncos and Gaels hold tie-breakers by virtue of wins against Pepperdine this season.

Therefore, USF enters the conference tournament as the #4 seed where they will square off against Loyola Marymount. San Francisco split with the Lions (16-11, 8-6) during the regular season, falling 76-58 on Jan. 11 in Los Angeles, but seized a 71-62 decision against LMU at War Memorial Gym Feb. 9.

San Francisco boosted themselves into second place with a solid effort against Gonzaga. USF erupted for 41 points in the first half, taking a 41-29 lead into intermission. The Bulldogs fought back and erased a 15-point USF lead in the early going of the second half. USF held on thanks to terrific shooting at the charity stripe by Huff, who went 6-of-6 at the stripe and scored her 15 points in just 11 minutes.

Much like last season, Hernandez saved one of her finest performances of the season for last and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and collected a pair of steals to go along with her 19 points. Junior guard Vilma Tamuleviciute continued her solid play and scored nine points, going 2-of-3 from long distance and added a pair of assists.

USF held a big shooting advantage, converting on .421 (24-57), including .438 (7-16) from 3-point range. Gonzaga was colder, converting on .349 (22-63) and struggled from downtown converting on just .150 (3-20). The shooting edge helped erase a tremendous rebounding deficit, where the Bulldogs held a 46-33 advantage.

San Francisco opens up play in the WCC Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 28 in San Diego. Game time has yet to be announced, but will be played at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.