SAN FRANCISCO – Saint Mary's Women's Basketball stormed back from a 13-point, halftime deficit to defeat the USF Dons 92-88 in overtime on Saturday. The thrilling comeback in the season finale puts the Gaels record for 2021-22 at 15-14 overall and 9-9 in WCC play as they await their seeding for next week's conference tournament in Las Vegas. The win was critical as it greatly increases their chances of getting a bye for the first round of the tournament.
 
Saint Mary's jumped out to an early six-point lead after an Ali Bamberger jump shot with Tayla Dalton also off to a hot start to spark the Gaels offense. But USF still finished the first quarter up 18-17 as the Gaels were winning the rebounding battle but losing the turnover battle, a trend that would continue during regulation play.
 
The Dons would get out to a 36-21 lead in the second quarter as they went on a 16-0 run at one point, with the Gaels going scoreless for over four minutes. USF led 38-25 at the half, as they were outshooting SMC 40% to 33% and had scored 20 points off Gaels turnovers.
 
But the Gaels went on a 12-2 run midway the third to cut the deficit to three points after a Bamberger three pointer with 3:49 to go in the quarter. The Dons got the lead back to seven points at 56-49 by the end of the third, but nonetheless the Gaels had made a game of it again.
 
Bamberger and Holland each scored 11 points in that third to get the Gaels going as they shot 53% in the quarter and committed only three turnovers which the Dons got zero points from. A Dalton three pointer cut the Dons lead to 59-56 with 7:24 left in the game, only to see USF extended their lead back to nine with just 2:36 remaining.
 
But Dalton hit another three to cut it six and again give the Gaels the spark they needed. Taycee Wedin would be fouled on a three-point shot and hit all three free throws to cut the Dons lead to one with just 19 seconds left. A pair of USF free throws got made it 77-74, but with just 10 seconds left Holland nailed a three to tie it at 77 and the Gaels got their biggest stop of the game at that point before Holland grabbed the rebound to guarantee overtime.
 
Claudia Langarita hit a three to start overtime for USF, but Bamberger's offensive rebounding set up Dalton for a second chance basket to cut it to one. After a Bamberger layup, the Gaels defense and their free throw shooting the rest of the way finished off the Gaels big comeback. And the spark plug, Tayla Dalton, hit a long two with 19 seconds left to make it a two-possession game, before she and Bamberger sealed the deal with more clutch free throw shooting for the Gaels 92-88 victory.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Holland and Bamberger each finished with 25 points, with Bamberger adding a game-high 14 rebounds. Dalton finished with a career-high 22 points to go along with six boards. Wedin had 13 points to go along with a new career high in rebounds with 11. It was the first double-digit rebound game of her career and she hit two more three pointers for 301 in her career to extend her WCC record.
 
The Gaels were 4 of 5 on free throws in overtime with no turnovers. They out rebounded the Dons 61-28 and the game had 11 lead changes.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels will await their match up in the WCC Conference Tournament. They will either play their first game of the tourney on Thursday, March 3 or Friday, March 4.