PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

San Diego Women’s Basketball hosted its annual Play4Kay game on Saturday, Feb. 7, taking on Seattle University. Play4Kay was established to raise funds and awareness for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting ways of fighting any and all cancers affecting women. The initiative unites players, coaches, officials and fans to do something larger than themselves that exceeds wins and losses in competition. The Play4Kay  initiative is Kay Yow’s most impactful fundraiser  with   over  a thousand   participating   schools. 

The final score of the game was 71-54, with San Diego emerging victorious. On top of the win, the Toreros set multiple records during the game. USD  held Seattle to a field  goal percentage of 29%, the  best mark  against a Division I opponent  this season. The team prevented the Redhawks from scoring a field goal over   the final  five minutes, which led to USD securing a single-game  program  record  of   63 rebounds. 

USD senior Michaela Garcia was in  attendance at the game and commented on the atmosphere in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

“It’s lively here, and you can see   that   the  team is working very hard together, communicating well to beat Washington State,” Garcia said. “Their uniforms also look very cute. I love the team and hope they can pull off the win for themselves and the cancer research.” 

Another feat for the Toreros was a total of 16 assists on offense, matching their highest assist count this season against a Division I opponent. The 16 assists indicate the number of made   baskets  that  were  directly set up by a teammate, matching the team’s season-high output against Division I competition.  

USD first-year Ruby Cottrill also addressed the atmosphere surrounding the event, emphasizing the impact of the crowd and the broader significance of the cause. 

“The energy in the environment here has been really positive, and it’s been great to see the community come together in support of this cause,” Cottrill said. “It’s important to support games like this because they bring awareness and show something bigger than the game.”

USD junior Justin Cann reflected on the turnout and visual impact of the event, noting both the show of support and areas where greater attendance could have strengthened the atmosphere. 

“Seeing so many people wearing pink was meaningful and pretty cool to see,”  Cann said. “And it was encouraging to see  those  who  came  together  on Saturday  to represent something larger than themselves.  At the same time, I do wish more people had attended, as I felt the crowd could have been larger to show support.”

The Toreros wrap up their three-game homestand Thursday, Feb. 12, hosting Gonzaga. February marks the final month of the Toreros’ basketball season unless they advance to the playoff season. Tipoff  between  the  Toreros and the   Gonzaga  Bulldogs is at 6 p.m. inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The game will also be played on National Girls and Women  in Sports Day and is one of five   remaining  on the Toreros’ regular-season schedule.

USD women’s basketball represents Play4Kay with pink uniforms against Seattle University. Hailey Howell/The USD Vista