SAN DIEGO, Calif. â€" Behind the best team effort of the season, and a huge 22-10 run in the third quarter, the University of San Diego women's basketball team knocked off the defending West Coast Conference champions Gonzaga University, 63-54, Saturday afternoon at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

With the win, the Toreros improve to 16-2 overall, knock Gonzaga out of first place in the WCC, and remain in a two-way tie with BYU for first place, as they move their league record to 6-1. USD has now defeated Gonzaga two consecutive times for the first time since the 2000-2001 season. With the loss, the Zags fall to 13-6 overall, move to 5-2 in the WCC, and have lost back-to-back WCC games for the first time since last season, when USD also gave them their second consecutive loss.

After the Zags managed to take a 3-point lead into the halftime break, the Toreros came storming back in the third quarter, sparked by spirited play from Maya Hood. The quarter began with Maya Hood stealing the ball, then driving the length of the court and scoring a lay-up, which sparked a 15-4 Torero run, giving San Diego all the momentum. In this frame, USD shot an impressive 71.4% (10-for-14), while the Zags shot a dismal 5-of-18 (27.8%), and all of this despite the Zags out rebounding the Toreros 15-2. USD never looked back, as they led for the remainder of the game.

Both Katherine Hamilton and Malina Hood scored a team-best 14 points, with Malina Hood recoding five steals and Hamilton shooting 6-for-11 from the field. Caroline Buhr was the third Torero in double figures, as she tied a career-high with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field. Maya Hood also had a dominate performance, as she scored eight points, had six rebounds and three steals.

As a team, USD shot 46.0% from the field, while the Zags were held to 35.6% shooting. GU out rebounded the Toreros 54-19, but USD recorded 16 steals, while forcing the Bulldogs into 22 turnovers. USD only committed 10 turnovers.

For the Bulldogs, Jill Barta came off the bench and scored 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. Both Kiara Kudron and Shelby Cheslik led the rebounding effort at 12 apiece.

San Diego will return to action on Thursday, as they host Pepperdine University in a 6 p.m. WCC game inside the friendly confines of the Jenny Craig Pavilion.