Dec. 20, 2008

Box Score

(Cancun, Mexico) - Behind 21 points by senior guard Shay Rollins, the USF women's basketball team earned a 70-59 victory over Stephen F. Austin Saturday in the final game of the 2008 Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico. With the victory over the Lady Jacks (5-6), the Dons (4-8) finished the event with a 1-1 record.

The Dons and Lady Jacks played tight in the opening half with the lead trading sides four times and being tied three times. After a 13-5 run midway though the half, SFA took their largest lead of the half - seven points. The Dons began to chip away at the deficit as senior guard Shay Rollins rattled off seven straight points for USF. Rollins finished the opening half with a game-high 15 points. In the opening stanza, San Francisco posted a .394 shooting percentage, while Stephen F. Austin shot at a .433 clip.

After a 31-31 knotted score at half, USF jumped out to an early advantage in the second half and never looked back, leading the entire stanza. San Francisco shot .441 in the second half, to finish the game with a .418 percentage.

Rollins led the Dons with 21 points,. 12 of which came from beyond the 3-point line, and seven rebounds. Joining Rollins with double-digit scoring was freshman guard Rheina Ale. Ale finished the game with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Freshman forward Katy Keating posted another notable afternoon, recording a career-high nine points - all on three's - with a game-high and career-best five assists. Senior forward Necolia Simmons was the lone Don with 10 or more rebounds, pulling down 11 of USF's 38 total boards.

Junior forward Donnisha Taylor saw 17 minutes of action, posting five rebounds and eight points off the bench for San Francisco. The Dons' bench accounted for 12 points on the afternoon - the most points for the bench this season.

USF took advantage of 20 SFA turnovers, scoring 18 points compared to seven points for the Lady Jacks off of 11 Dons' turnovers. San Francisco also posted 24 points in the paint and 15 on second chances.

SFA was led by Natashia Green, who recorded 14 points and three rebounds. Antoinette Davis and Amina Sawyer also posted double-digit scoring for the Lady Jacks, with 12 and 10 respectively.

San Francisco will take a break for the Holidays, before returning to the Hilltop on New Years Eve. The Dons will host Iona at 2 p.m. at War Memorial Gym on Dec. 31 in the final non-conference home contest of the season.