SAN FRANCISCO — It turns out that a Christmas Eve family dinner was just what Kia Vaalavirta needed.
The San Francisco sophomore out of Espoo, Finland, spent the holiday last week with her family in an apartment in Newport Beach, and after they drove up Highway 1 to see the California coast, they watched her turn in a career game in Saturday's West Coast Conference opener.
Vaalavirta was one of four Dons in double figures, scoring 18 and hitting a career-best six 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough to send the family home with a win.