Dec. 14, 2008

Box Score

Box Score

(Sacramento, Calif.) - The USF women's basketball team earned its first road victory of the season Sunday, as the Dons defeated host Sacramento State 62-55 at the Hornets Nest in Sacramento. Leading the Dons (3-7) over the Hornets (2-7) were four San Francisco starters who scored in double figures.

Both teams started the game with cold shooting, as in the opening four minutes the Dons went 0-for-6 and the Hornets 1-for-8. San Francisco finally posted its first points on the board at 14:08 thanks to a 3-pointer by junior guard Danesha Wright. USF took its first lead at 10:57, 8-7, thanks to a lay-up by senior forward Necolia Simmons. The Hornets took a 24-22 advantage into the locker room at halftime, thanks to a last-second 3-pointer by Sami Field-Polisso. For the half, San Francisco shot at a .321 clip, while holding Sacramento State to a .313 mark. The Dons also outscored the Hornets 12-6 in the paint and posted 15 points off of 13 turnovers by Sacramento State.

San Francisco came out of the half on a tear, going on an 18-6 run over the opening eight minutes, taking a 40-30 lead. The Dons continued to fight and at 7:46 posted their highest lead of the game, 44-33, thanks to a Wright lay-up off of a Hornets turnover. For the game, USF scored 28 points off of Sacramento State's 22 errors.

Senior guard Shay Rollins paced the victory with a game-high 22 points, falling one point shy of a career-best. Rollins shot 6-for-16 from the field with four 3-pointers and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. The native of Alameda also added four rebounds, while dishing out three assists and a career-high five steals.

Simmons posted her second-straight double-double in the contest with 14 points and a dozen rebounds, including seven defensively. Joining Rollins and Simmons in double-digit scoring was freshman guard Rheina Ale and Wright with 13 and 12, respectively.

In total, three Dons had five or more rebounds, highlighted by Simmons. Junior forward Nnenna Okereke posted six, while freshman forward Katy Keating pulled down eight off the bench as USF out-rebounded Sacramento State 44-38.

The Hornets were led by Atty Boyer with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Charday Hunt recorded a dozen points to mark the lone Sacramento State double-digit scorers.

The Dons will next take the court this weekend as part of the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico. The Dons will open play Friday at 1 p.m. against Tennessee-Chattanooga before taking on Stephen F. Austin Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at the Moon Palace Resort. Following the trip south, USF will break for the Holidays before returning to War Memorial Gym for the final home contest of 2008 - a 2 p.m. tip on New Year's Eve against Iona.