Nov. 3, 2001

Box Score

(San Francisco) - Freshman point guard Toni Russell pumped in a game-high 17 points to lead USF to an easy 89-56 victory against the San Francisco Pro-Am in exhibition women's basketball action Saturday at War Memorial Gym. Russell, a San Francisco native, keyed a swarming defensive effort by the Lady Dons who forced 35 Pro-Am turnovers, 21 of them coming off steals.

San Francisco exploded out of the gate in their first of a two exhibition games, sprinting out to a 30-7 lead with 8:29 remaining in the first half and carried a 44-19 advantage into the locker room at intermission. Junior guard Alicia Hernandez led USF in the first 20 minutes with 10 points.

In the second half, the Lady Dons continued their high-pressure defense and opened up a 30 point lead, 58-28 with 15:41 left and took their biggest lead on a breakaway layup by Russell with :23 seconds remaining.

Senior guard Melanie Turner added 13 points and went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc as the Lady Dons converted on .360 (9-25) from 3-point range. Hernandez finished with 11 points and five assists, while senior guard Lindsey Huff added seven points and five assists.

Sophomore forward Carey Sauer made a much-anticipated return to the lineup after missing the entire 2000-2001 season with an ACL, scoring 11 points to go along with four rebounds in 13 minutes. Freshman forwards Anglea Gibson and Celeste Farmer each scored nine points in their first games in the Green and Gold and the pair combined for 13 rebounds.

Junior guard Lisa Whiteside added to the defensive pressure and dished out a game-high six assists, while senior forward Molly Shanley added seven points.

Former USF standout Valerie Gillon led the Bay Area Pro-Am with 14 points on 7-of-9 from the field in what may be her final playing appearance at War Memorial Gym.

USF returns to exhibition action Saturday, Nov. 10 when they host a touring team from Hungary. Game time is at 2:00 PM at War Memorial Gym.