Loyola Marymount used a late 8-0 run to wrestle away a 74-71 victory from USF in West Coast Conference women's basketball action Feb. 23 at War Memorial Gym. For the Lady Dons (12-14, 5-8 WCC) it was the second straight game opponents have used a late rally to ride to victory. With the win, the Lions (19-7, 10-3 WCC) maintain a share of first place in the WCC standings and win their fourth straight league game and have now won eight of their last 10, while USF has dropped eight of their last 10 outings.

The loss spoiled another great outing for senior center Kim Whisler, who finished with a game-high 22 points on an impressive 10 for-12 from the floor to go along with a game-high eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Sophomore guard Alicia Hernandez added 16 points off the bench and dished out four assists.

USF scratched out a 33-30 lead at halftime in a contest featuring 12 lead changes. The Lady Dons could not overcome some costly mistakes down the stretch and a glaring disparity in free throws as LMU converted on 23-31 (.742) while USF attempted just 10 foul shots, making five. The Lady Dons were out shot 20-6 in the second half at the charity stripe.

Kate Murray scored in a team-high 18 points, while guards Bryn Britton and Taryn Reynolds added 17 and 16 respectively for the Lions, who converted on .500 of their attempts from the field (24-48). USF converted on .544 of their attempts (31-57) but could not overcome the parade to the free throw line.

USF hosts the Waves of Pepperdine in the 2001 WCC regular season finale for both teams on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM at War Memorial Gym. Prior to the game, USF will hold its annual senior night festivities celebrating the careers and accomplishments of the USF Lady Dons Class of 2001 Cortney Keegan and Kim Whisler.