USF Women Battle But Fall Short 70-62 against Gonzaga :: Toni Russell Sets All-Time WCC Steals Record (Men and Women) at 346

Feb. 17, 2005

(San Francisco) - USF battled hard, but could not derail Gonzaga and the nation's longest winning streak, falling 70-62 Thursday night in West Coast Conference action at War Memorial Gym. The Dons (11-13, 5-6 WCC) got another strong offensive night from freshman guard Dominique Carter who scored 19 points, but the Bulldogs (23-2, 12-0 WCC) won the battle of the boards and received balanced production throughout en route to their 19th consecutive victory.

It was another milestone night for senior guard Toni Russell who recorded three steals in the contest and is now the WCC career steals leader (men and women) with 346. Russell passed USF Hall-of-Famer Orlando Smart (1990-93) who is the men's leader at 344. Russell added 14 points and dished out eight assists for the Dons.

Carter connected on .500 (9-18) from the floor and added four rebounds in 34 minutes, while senior center Leeane Jensen added 12 points and 10 rebounds in her first career double-double night. Senior center Mary Jane Krueger added eight points and pulled down seven rebounds.

USF shot at a .406 (28-69) from the floor, while Gonzaga managed a .464 (26-57) clip. Neither team could find the range from long distance with the Dons holding a .333 (4-12) to .214 (3-14) edge on the Zags. USF attempted a paltry three free throws in the contest, while Gonzaga converted on .682 (15-22) at the charity stripe. San Francisco lost the battle of the boards 41-36.

Senior center Ashley Burke scored a team-high 19 points on 6-of-8 form the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line to go along with seven rebounds, while senior guard Rae Jewell scored 18 points and added seven rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Anne Bailey added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

USF returns to action Saturday Feb. 19 when they host Portland in the 2005 WCC regular season home finale. Tip-off against the Pilots is set for 4:00 PM at War Memorial Gym on a game televised live by Fox Sports Net (FSN). Senior day festivities celebrating the careers of Krueger and Russell will begin at approximately 3:45 PM.