SAN FRANCISCO – With its postseason fortunes on the line, the San Francisco State women's basketball team came up big Thursday night, downing Cal Poly Pomona, 57-38, in a key California Collegiate Athletic Association game at the Main Gymnasium. With the victory Gators take a giant step towards clinching the eighth and final position in the CCAA playoffs, improving to 13-13 on the season and 7-12 in league play. Meanwhile the Broncos slip to 15-13 on the year and 11-8 in the CCAA.
“That was our best defensive effort of the year against a quality team,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “They had 11 conference wins coming in; we knew the importance of this game, and we stepped it up tonight.”
The Gators limited CPP to just 13-of-54 shooting from the field (24.1 percent) while forcing 19 turnovers and blocking four shots. Despite connecting on just 36 percent of its field-goal attempts (18-of-50), SF State made the most of its free throw opportunities, converting 20 of 25 shots from the charity stripe (80 percent) compared to the Broncos' 7-for-19 clip (36.8 percent).
Individually, ZaLisha Oliver (Sacramento, California, Luther Burbank) and Desiree Butler (Lancaster, California, Lancaster, Pasadena City College) scored 11 points apiece to lead the Gators, while Madeleine Schwartz (San Rafael, California, Terra Linda, Arizona State University) chipped in eight points off the bench. Butler also came away with three steals and tied Jessica Hout-Freeman (Fremont, California, Washington) for team-high honors with three assists.
After a slow start, SF State went ahead to stay at 9-8 following an Oliver jumper with 11:35 remaining in the first half. The Gators built a pair of five-point leads over the ensuing 10 minutes before the Broncos closed to within 21-19 on Rosslyn Beard's layup with 1:15 left on the clock. However, a Schwartz basket on SF State's next trip down the court snuffed out the visitors' momentum, as the Gators took a 23-19 advantage into the locker room.
SF State turned up the intensity in the second half, holding CPP without a field goal for seven-plus minutes midway through the period. Leading 28-24, Butler scored 11 straight points to spark a 15-1 run, giving the Gators a comfortable 43-25 cushion by the 7:51 mark. During that stretch, Butler nailed a 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the foul line, including a pair of free throws after a flagrant foul by the Broncos' Ally Smith, who was ejected with 13:13 left in the game.
CPP would draw no closer than 13 points the rest of the way, as an Oliver tip-in and a jumper by Krystle Mays (Long Beach, California, Chatsworth) on consecutive possessions provided the home team with an insurmountable 51-34 lead with just 2:03 remaining in the contest.
Reyana Colson was the only Bronco to reach double figures with 12 points, while Stephisha Walton pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
SF State closes out its regular-season slate on Friday, Feb. 27, when it takes on Cal State Bernardino beginning at 5:30 p.m. Prior to the game, the Gators will honor their three seniors, Desiree Butler, Krystle Mays and Jaime Hall, as part of Senior Night festivities.
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