SAN FRANCISCO – The Lions stormed back from an early deficit to take down the San Francisco Dons, 73-68, in their second matchup of the season Thursday night.

Naudia Evans delivered a stellar performance, leading all scorers with 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting while also contributing five assists and two rebounds. 

Maya Hernandez was equally impressive, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and pulling down seven boards.  Allison Clarke added 16 points to round out the Lions' offensive attack.

The game didn't start in LMU's favor, as the Dons jumped out to a quick 10-point lead, shooting 50% from the field compared to LMU's 26.7%. By the first quarter's end, LMU was trailing 23-12. 

The Lions struggled but remained aggressive in the second quarter, capitalizing at the free-throw line by making all 10 attempts. However, they still faced a 43-27 deficit at halftime.

The Lions flipped the script in the third quarter, shooting 53.3% from the field and outscoring USF 20-8. A late 9-3 run, capped off by a second-chance layup from Mari Somvichian, cut the once 14-point deficit to just four heading into the fourth, 51-47.

Clarke opened the final quarter with a three-pointer to bring LMU within one. Hernandez followed with a pull-up jumper, and Evans drilled a three to give the Lions their first lead of the night, 56-53. The game saw two more ties before Hernandez took over, hitting all four of her shot attempts to push LMU ahead by six. USF made a late push, cutting the lead to four with 15 seconds left, but Evans sealed the win at the free-throw line.

LMU finished the game strong, shooting 58.8% (10-of-17) in the final quarter to complete the comeback and secure the road victory.

The Lions next game is on Feb. 6 at 6 PM against the Oregon State Beavers in Gersten Pavilion.