LAS VEGAS - This is the version of Freja Werth the San Francisco women’s basketball coaching staff has waited to see. The version they knew was inside her.
Finally convinced this season she had to be an assertive offensive factor, the senior guard from Sweden scored 24 points to help carry the Dons to a 75-66 victory over LMU in a third-round game of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship on Saturday.
The Dons (15-15) prevailed despite not making a field goal over the final four minutes. Instead, they converted 11 consecutive free throws, four of those by Werth.
“We had a first-team all-conference player we just couldn’t contain,” LMU coach Aarika Hughes said. “But I know we threw everything at her.”
Fifth-seeded USF advances to play No. 4 Oregon State (26-15) in a quarterfinal game Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at Orleans Arena.
Forward Emma Trawally Porta added 13 points and nine rebounds for USF, Angeliki Ziaka added 13 points and Luana Leite scored 12.
But Werth has become the centerpiece of the Dons’ offense, partly out of necessity after all-WCC forward Deborah dos Santos went down with a season-ending knee injury a couple months ago.
“We haven’t given Freja any choice,” USF coach Molly Goodenbour said. “Basically, we give her the ball and tell her, `You’ve got to shoot it. You’ve got to score it.’ It is unfortunate we lost Deb dos Santos part way through the season but if there is a silver lining to that, she’s really had to step up her individual play.
“She is our No. 1 scoring option and she needs to be that and she needs to believe she is that.”
Werth, who spent her basketball-playing days back home in Sweden as a defensive specialist, a complementary player, says she’s feeling becoming comfortable with added responsibilities.
“I feel like that was a role that really didn’t come naturally to me. I hadn’t really been in that position before,” she said. “But throughout the season I feel like I’ve grown a lot. It comes more natural and I’m more aggressive My coach and my teammates always want me to be aggressive, so it’s easy.”
Werth, who arrived in Las Vegas this week averaging 16.8 points, now has scored 512 on the season and 80 over the past three games for a 26.7 average. She contributed seven rebounds and made 11 of 13 free throws against the Lions.
The Lions (14-16), who beat Santa Clara 66-52 in the second round on Friday, got 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals from sophomore forward Maya Hernandez.
“We don’t have a most improve player (in the West Coast Conference), but Maya Hernandez would certainly win that award. She’s been a tremendous factor for them down the stretch,” Goodenbour said. “We had problems matching up with her 1-on-1 down the stretch. She’s gotten a lot more confident.”
Point guard Naudia Evans, an all-WCC selection in her first season with the Lions as a transfer, had 18 points and six rebounds but shot just 5 for 21 from the field.
“They’re a good defensive team. They made it hard,” Evans said. “I missed six free throws, missed some easy shots. Sometimes the ball just doesn’t go your way.”
Goodenbour praised the defensive play of Leite and Ziaka against Evans. She knew the Dons couldn’t shut her down, but said they oped to “at least make those shots challenging. I thought we did. We made her play fairly inefficiently.”
Graduate guard Brandi Williams scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half before fouling to with 3:08 to play.
UP NEXT: USF advances to play Oregon State, with whom they split two games this season.
Goodenbour said the Beavers have problematic size inside and will make the Dons operate against a matchup zone defense “We’ve had enough experience down the stretch, we’re prepared to have a zone attack,” she said. “We’re going to have to knock down some outside shots, which is literally hit or miss with us.”
A GRATEFUL GRADUATE GUARD: Evans, who grew up in Ohio and played her first three seasons of college ball at Grand Canyon University, said she felt blessed to play one season under coach Aarika Hughes. The feeling is mutual.
“I’m just so grateful. Not a lot of people get to play for such an amazing person,” said an emotional Evans, who earned All-WCC honors after averaging 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.0 rebounds this season. “I have nothing but love . . . I am so grateful and blessed to have played my last year here.”
Hughes said Evans left a mark that will help the Lions as they move forward and Hernandez said she learned so much about becoming a leader from her older teammate.