SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Saint Mary's traveled to the hilltop Thursday evening in a clash of unbeatens but would see their perfect start to conference play come to an end as San Francisco hit eleven three pointers and shot over 50% from the field to win 87-73. The Gaels nearly overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter, scoring 19 points on 44% shooting as they cut the deficit to single digits three different times. The Dons took advantage of the zone defense though to make six shots and go a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line to hang on for the 14-point win.
With a Washington State defeat earlier in the evening, USF is now the lone undefeated team in WCC play and sits alone at the top of the standings.
Abigail Shoff had a career night with 19 points and was a perfect 4-4 from three to lead SMC.
Zeryhia Aokuso had 16 points as she continues to stay hot offensively and
Maia Jones had 12 points coming off the bench for the Gaels.
FIRST HALF SMC 35-43 USF
Another slow start offensively would plague the Gaels as San Francisco started the game on an 11-4 run going 5-of-9 from the field during that stretch. The Dons highlighted their length and athleticism defensively as well, forcing three turnovers in the opening minutes of the game. A three pointer from
Abigail Shoff and a three-point play from
Zeryhia Aokuso would help jump start the offense and cut the deficit to four.
Eight first quarter points from Shoff including a pair of three pointers would keep the Gaels within striking distance, down seven after the opening ten minutes. Saint Mary's shot 40% from the field and were 3-6 from three but San Francisco exploded for 24 points on 63% shooting to take the early lead. The Dons did a great job of attacking the paint, outscoring SMC 16-4 in that category in the first quarter.
USF would cool off some in the second quarter but were forcing contested shots on the defensive end making it tough for some of the Gaels top scorers in Aokuso, Jones and Johnson.
Kennedy Johnson had just two points at the half all coming from the free throw line. Junior forward
Melesungu Afeaki made her fifth start of the season and saw plenty of the ball in the first half but had a tough matchup with Debora Dos Santos on the other side. The Dons forced 12 turnovers in the first half and were able to score in every way, 53% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc.
Despite the hot start offensively for USF, it was
Abigail Shoff who put together a stellar first half for the Gaels with a team high 13 points and a perfect 3-of-3 from three. Shoff had great balance and strength to her jumper and was feeling it from the jump. Also perfect from three in the half was
Maia Jones who quietly had eight points off the bench. Jones would connect on a step back three just before the buzzer to cut the deficit to eight heading into the break.
FINAL SMC 73-87 USF
Head coach
Jeff Cammon elected to play small for the majority of the second half to keep as many scorers on the court as possible but the Dons opened up the third quarter on an 11-5 run to take their biggest lead of the night. USF was beating the Gaels zone defense with quick ball movement and were aggressive in the paint, going 6-of-7 from the charity stripe in the quarter.
Saint Mary's got outscored by six in the quarter and would head into the fourth trailing by 14. The lead grew to as many as 18 for San Francisco but a crucial 4-0 run from freshman
Amy Kurkowski would cut the lead back down to 14. The Gaels 1-3-1 zone defense would start to cause problems towards the end of the quarter as the Dons went 0-3 and turned the ball over once in the final two and a half minutes. Kurkowski would finish a layup in transition and then connect on a pull-up jumper as time expired to give the Gaels some much needed life heading into the fourth quarter.
From the end of the third to the start of the fourth, Saint Mary's would go on a 9-0 run to bring the game back to single digits for the first time since the 8:37 mark in the third quarter.
Kennedy Johnson would come alive with a three-point play off an inbound pass from Aokuso and then
Edie Clarke would force a turnover and finish the layup herself on the other end to make it 59-68.
The Dons would answer with back-to-back layups but three's from Johnson and Foy would keep the deficit at ten with under seven minutes to play. The deficit would get to as little as eight points after a fadeaway jumper from Aokuso at the 4:17 mark. As the time continued to tick away, the Gaels simply didn't have enough possessions left to make a run. San Francisco would get to the line and finish the game on a 5-0 run to push their lead back to 14 and become the lone unbeaten team left in WCC play.
Both teams entered Thursday's contest as fairly average three point shooting teams but combined for 20 made three's on 50%. Angeliki Ziaka made six three's for San Francisco while
Abigail Shoff was a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc. USF was +12 on the glass and outscored SMC 38-24 in the paint. Shoff's 19 points and four made three's went down as new career highs for the junior transfer from Long Beach State while Aokuso recorded her third straight game in double figures with 16 points.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's falls to 8-6 overall and 4-1 in conference play after losing to San Francisco 73-87. The Gaels will return to UCU Pavilion next Thursday to take on Washington State at 6:30 PM. Stream the game live on ESPN+ and get your tickets online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
