SAN DIEGO – In a matchup that came down to the wire, the San Diego women's basketball program (4-16, 0-7 WCC) were unable to secure the game-tying basket and ultimately fell, 64-59, to Portland (13-8, 5-2 WCC) on Saturday afternoon at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.   
 
Harsimran Kaur led the Toreros with 12 points and five rebounds, while Veronica Sheffey added 11 points, six assists and six rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Much like the first meeting between the two teams, San Diego came out of the gate energized and found their offensive rhythm early.
• Six of the first 10 points of the game came from Sheffey, who helped build a 10-7 lead.
• After Portland tied the game at 10-10, San Diego ended the quarter on a 7-1 run.
• The Torero lead dissipated quickly, but the team responded when Jess Finney and Malia Tharpe entered the game.
• Tharpe earned a steal and layup, before Finney went on a streak of eight consecutive points and two, three-pointers, to help San Diego go ahead 29-22.
• That lead would rise further and peaked at 36-26 to end the first half.
• Portland entered the third quarter with more energy and quickly shaved the Torero lead to three in just under four minutes,
• However, the Toreros remained composed and got a basket and an assist from Dylan Horton on back-to-back possessions to retake a 46-38 lead with 3:22 left in the period.
• Despite their best efforts, the lead melted down again and the Pilots took a brief two-point lead, before two Kasey Neubert free throws tied the game at 48-48 entering the fourth quarter.
• The two sides traded baskets throughout the first half of the quarter, with a Neubert jumper giving San Diego a 58-57 lead.
• However, Portland did enough to pull ahead and stopped a potential tying jumper from Sheffey to pull away at the free throw line.

 
TORERO TIDBITS

• Kaur averaged 13.5 points per game in two games against the Pilots this season.

 
NEXT UP
The Toreros will be back at home on Thursday, Feb. 1, as they welcome No. 17 Gonzaga for a 6 p.m. contest. The game will be streamed via ESPN Plus. To stay up to date with Toreros women's basketball, follow the team on Instagram & Twitter by searching "USDwbb".