USF's Mary Hile-Nepfel collects 100th career WCC win

A day after a dismal showing against Portland, USF responded with a convincing 88-60 victory against Gonzaga Feb. 10 at War Memorial Gym in West Coast Conference women's action. USF head coach Mary Hile-Nepfel collected her 100th career WCC coaching win, becoming just the fourth coach in league history to reach the century mark on the sidelines. With the win the Lady Dons (12-11, 5-5 WCC) snap a two-game losing streak and keep the Bulldogs (5-18, 0-10 WCC) winless in league action.

USF shot a blistering .727 (16-22) from the floor in the first half, including 5-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line and held Gonzaga to just .296 (8-27) in the first 20 minutes. The hot shooting helped the Lady Dons overcome 16 first half turnovers. After trailing the majority of the game last night to the Pilots, USF led in this one wire-to-wire, building a 43-28 lead at the half.

After recess, the Lady Dons continued to extend their lead and the Bulldogs never cut the margin to less than 19 points in the second period.

Senior center Kim Whisler led the way for USF with a game-high 20 points on a remarkable 8-for-9 shooting from the floor to go along with five rebounds. Sophomore guard Alicia Hernandez pumped in 16 points and dished out a game-high eight assists in her return to the starting lineup, while freshman forward Mary Jane Krueger added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Junior forward Molly Shanley added 11 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists for the Lady Dons.

Senior forward Carmel Lampson led the Bulldogs offensively with 20 points, while junior forward Jessica Malone added 13.

USF returns to action Thursday when they travel to Santa Clara for a crucial Bay Area WCC contest against the Broncos. Game time is at 7:00 PM at the Leavey Events Center.