SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State women's basketball team opened its 2009-10 home schedule with a 67-52 defeat at the hands of Western Washington on Saturday in the Main Gymnasium. With the loss, the Gators dip to 2-3 on the young season, while the Vikings remain unbeaten at 2-0.
“Tonight's game was a direct reflection of turnovers,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “We committed 27 turnovers, which resulted in fewer scoring chances. A turnover margin of 27-19 does not give you many opportunities to win games, especially against quality opponents such as Western Washington. However, there were some positive things that we accomplished and we have to build upon those for our upcoming game Tuesday night.”
The Gators were led by senior
Donisha Tate (Oakland, Calif., Oakland HS, Las Posita College), who totaled a game-high 13 points to go along with a team-best nine rebounds, while freshman
Sidney Dobner (Newbury Park, Calif., Newbury Park HS) tied a season high with nine points of her own. Senior
Kalia Williams (Los Angeles, Calif., Saint Monica HS, San Jose State) also got into the act with seven points while tying a career best of six boards.
WWU featured a balanced attack with four players scoring 11 points, including Jessica Summers, who also finished with a game-high 10 rebounds and three blocks. Joining Summers in double digits were Willow Cabe, Ashley Fenimore and Amanda Dunbar, who came away with a game-best five steals.
SF State shot 40.4 percent from the field, compared to the Vikings' 44.1 percent clip. WWU also connected eight 3-pointers, while SF State drained just two shots from beyond the arc.
After the two teams traded the first four baskets of the first half, the Vikings' Krystal Robinson nailed a jumper at the 17:32 mark to put the visitors up for good at 6-4. WWU increased its lead to 18-8 over the next six minutes as consecutive treys by Dunbar and Fenimore capped a 12-4 run.
The Gators gradually whittled away at the deficit, pulling to within two at 28-26 following a layup by freshman
Deserie Azlin (Antioch,Calif, Deer Valley HS) with 1:44 left before intermission. The two sides exchanged buckets before Fenimore drilled another 3-pointer with 40 ticks left on the clock, giving the contest its 33-28 halftime score.
WWU took control after the break, holding SF State scoreless for the first 7:19 of the second period. After Cabe hit a 3-pointer to put the Vikings up 42-28, Dobner ended the offensive drought with a trey of her own at the 12:41 mark. The Gators narrowed the gap to nine points on two occasions over the next 2:42, but could draw no closer the rest of the way. After a Dobner layup brought the host team to within 46-37 with 9:59 left, Summers responded with a pair of jumpers to restore WWU's double-digit bulge at 50-37.
SF State returns to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 24, when it takes on Cal Maritime in a non-conference clash at the Main Gym. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
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