SAN FRANCISCO –Despite Dominique Hunter's fourth double-double of the season and a career-high 14 points from Michaela Booker, the San Francisco State women's basketball came out on the wrong side of a 66-52 decision to visiting UC San Diego on Saturday in the Main Gymnasium.

 

The Gators were unable to overcome a field-goal drought of almost 10 minutes in the second half, falling to 1-4 on the season and 1-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, while Tritons move to 3-6 overall and 1-1 in league play.

 

“Although UCSD had lost their first conference game before tonight, they showed that they are a quality team,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “We were able to rebound the ball well tonight, but we still need to learn and grow from this game as we prepare for our upcoming opponents.”

 

Hunter's big night featured a season-high 18 points and a career-best 19 rebounds, including 11 on the defensive glass, while Booker pulled down seven boards of her own and came up with a season-high tying three steals to go along with her point total. Sherika Miller also got into the act for the Purple and Gold with a season-best nine points and added four rebounds.

 

On the flip side, the Tritons had four players reach double-figures in scoring, led by Emily Osga's 14 points, while Chelsea Carlisle and Daisy Feder tossed in 13 apiece. Carlisle just missed out on a double-double after dishing out a game-high nine assists and tied Lauren Freidenberg (10 pts.) for team honors with six rebounds.

 

Despite owning a 43-31 advantage on the boards and 5-0 edge in blocks, the Gators were plagued by 29 turnovers and could not contain UCSD's shooting from 3-point territory as the visitors connected on 10 of 24 shots from beyond the arc, compared to SF State's 3-for-7 clip.

 

The Tritons grabbed a pair of early six-point leads in the first half, including a 12-6 spread after a Carlisle layup with 5:01 elapsed. However, the Gators got their perimeter game working at this juncture, crafting a 19-9 surge over the next 9:39 to forge a 25-21 advantage. Angela Van Sickel ignited the run with her first collegiate 3-pointer, Booker drained three shots, including a triple from the left wing, while Candyce Matthews sank a free throw with 5:20 left before intermission to give the Purple and Gold a slim four-point edge.

 

SF State was unable to build on its good fortune, though, as the Tritons clamped down and fashioned a 13-2 run down the stretch to take a 34-27 lead by halftime. Hunter's layup at the 2:56 mark was the Gators' lone basket during that stretch, while Feder drained a 3-pointer for UCSD right before the buzzer to give the visitors added momentum heading into the locker room.

 

SF State's offense could not get untracked in the second half as the Tritons limited the host school to just one jumper and four free throws during a span of 10:49 to begin the period.  After another trey by Feder gave UCSD its largest lead of the game at 56-33 with 10:43 to go, a layup by Booker at the 9:11 mark ended the Gator field-goal drought as the hosts looked to climb back into contention.

 

SF State almost did just that as a basket by Miller with 5:15 left on the clock capped a 12-0 run to put the Purple and Gold within striking distance at 56-45. However, the Tritons quickly dashed any comeback hopes after Carlisle sank two foul shots and Osga connected on a 3-pointer to restore UCSD's lead back to 16 at 61-45 with 3:50 remaining in the game. The Gators were then unable to draw any closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

 

SF State steps out of conference play next weekend when it plays host to the CCAA-Pac West Challenge, Dec. 10-11, in the Main Gym. The Gators will square off against Grand Canyon next Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m., before tangling with Notre Dame de Namur on Saturday starting at 7 p.m.

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