SAN FRANCISCO – Junior
ZaLisha Oliver (Sacramento, California, Luther Burbank)posted her first career double-double on Tuesday night as the San Francisco State women's basketball team outlasted Notre Dame de Namur, 58-56, in a non-conference clash at the Main Gymnasium. The Gators built an 18-point second-half lead, but had to survive a furious Argonaut rally to raise their record to 5-2 on the season. Meanwhile with the loss, NDNU slips to 2-7 overall.
“It was very tough win for us tonight,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “Notre Dame de Namur played hard throughout, but we didn't rotate well on their 3-point shooters. We didn't identify them very well and then we got out of sync on offense after they went to a man-to-man defense. Hopefully we can clean up some of our mistakes by our next game on Friday. ”
The Argos shot a blistering 9-for-14 from beyond the arc (64.3 percent) and held a 42-38 advantage on the boards, but were just 3-of-12 from the foul line. Meanwhile, SF State shot 14-for-20 (70 percent) from the charity stripe and committed fewer turnovers, 20-24.
The first half witnessed five lead changes and three ties as both offenses struggled to find their rhythm. After junior
Morgan Aycox 's (Bartlett, Illinois, Bartlett) jumper put the Gators out in front, 10-8, at the 12:25 mark, SF State was held without a field goal for the next six-plus minutes.
Fortunately, the Gators were able to keep the Argos in their sight until a 3-pointer from junior
Madeleine Schwartz (San Rafael, California, Terra Linda, Arizona State University) ended the drought with 6:06 left, pulling SF state to within one at 16-15. The Gators then closed out the half with a 12-6 run, making the score 27-21..
After intermission, the SF State fashioned a seemingly safe 48-30 advantage following an Oliver jumper and a foul shot by senior
Krystle Mays (Long Beach, California, Chatsworth) with 9:53 to go in the game. However, NDNU used a 15-5 spurt to trim the deficit to eight points at 53-45, highlighted by a Tanaia Keyes' triple at the 3:15 mark.
A put-back by junior
Kalia Williams (Los Angeles, California, Saint Monica, San Jose State University) off an Oliver miss restored the double-digit cushion on the Gators' ensuing possession. Then, SF State appeared to be in the driver's seat after a Keyes free throw miss with 2:35 remaining.
However, a Gator turnover quickly opened the flood gates, as an 8-0 Argo run visitors pulled the visitors to within 55-53 following a 3-pointer by Kim Hom with 42 ticks left on the clock.
After another SF State miscue, sophomore
Dominique Hunter (San Francisco, California, Gateway) blocked Keyes' jumper on NDNU's next trip down the court with 17 seconds remaining. Then, senior
Desiree Butler (Lancaster, California, Lancaster, Pasadena City College) quickly make amends for a turnover in the backcourt by stealing the ball right back from Rathke with10 seconds to go.
The Gator guard then made three of four free throws down the stretch to seal the win as a triple by Hom at the buzzer accounted for the final points.
In addition to Oliver's point total, the junior forward pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, including six on the defensive side. Fellow classmate
Jessica Hout-Freeman (Fremont, California, Washington) also contributed eight points to go along with a game-high five assists while adding three steals. Williams, meanwhile, provided a spark off the bench, scoring eight points of her own and notching six rebounds.
NDNU was paced by Rathke's 14 points and 18 rebounds, while Hom posted 12 points, all on treys.
SF State returns to action on Friday, Dec. 12, when it takes on Central Washington in a key regional matchup beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Gym. The Gators and Wildcats have already squared off against each other this season, with SF State claiming a 51-36 victory at Ellensburg, Wash., on Nov. 21.
