Jan. 14, 2016 Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
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LOS ANGELES - Lighting did not strike twice in a row for the LMU women's basketball team. The Lions erased a 16-point deficit against West Coast Conference foe San Francisco, but could not find that golden game-winning shot, eventually falling, 75-73, in overtime Thursday night in Gersten Pavilion.
LMU dropped to 7-10 overall and an even 3-3 in WCC play while the Dons improved to 11-7 overall and 2-5 in league action.
Leslie Lopez-Wood paced the Lions with 16 points while Bree Alford and Sophie Taylor added 14 points apiece. Alford also hauled in a career-high 16 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year.
The Dons were led by Zhane Dikes' 21 points. Three other USF players scored in double figures.
A slow start put LMU in an 18-3 hole through the first quarter of play. The Lions hit just 1-for-14 in the opening 10 minutes, while also suffering from seven early turnovers. The giveaways continued for both teams, as they finished the night with a combined 48 turnovers. But offensively, the Lions began to mount a comeback in the second quarter.
Behind seven points each from Lopez-Wood and Cheyenne Wallace, they went 9-for-16 in the period, trimming the deficit to 12, 38-26, at the break.
A big third quarter sparked the true comeback as the Lions outscored USF 24-14, pulling to within two, 52-50. USF pushed its lead back to seven, 57-50, on a Dikes jumper with 7:02 to play. But Lopez-Wood responded with a three, Alford scored on a quick layup and Lopez-Wood buried three free-throws after being fouled on a long ball attempt, giving LMU its first lead of the night, 58-57, with 4:57 remaining.
Alford added a layup to cap the 10-0 run and give the Lions a 60-57 advantage. San Francisco responded with a Rachel Howard three and Taylor Proctor layup to lead by two with three seconds remaining in regulation. But Taylor earned a trip to the free-throw line on LMU's final possession and sank both attempts knotting the score at 62-62. Howard got off a half court heave at the buzzer, but it would not go and the teams headed to overtime.
The Dons scored first in the extra five-minute period and would never trail, holding on for the two-point win.
LMU is back in action Saturday, hosting Santa Clara at 2 p.m. A special one-dollar ticket price is available as the Lions "Pack the House" in an attempt to break the program's attendance record.
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