SAN FRANCISCO – Donisha Tate (Oakland, Calif., Oakland HS, Las Positas College) and Dominique Hunter (San Francisco, Calif., Gateway HS) each recorded double-doubles on Saturday to lead the San Francisco State women's basketball team to a gritty 63-60 overtime conquest of Cal State Dominguez Hills in a key California Collegiate Athletic Association match-up in the Main Gymnasium.

 

The Gators (13-13, 9-9 CCAA) trailed by as many as eight points in the second half until a layup by Hunter with 19 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 54-54. The SF State junior also came up big defensively on the Toros' ensuing possession, blocking Neka Mixon's shot as the buzzer sounded, sending the contest into overtime.

 

The Gators maintained the upper hand throughout the extra session, as a pair of free throws by ZaLisha Oliver (Sacramento, Calif., Luther Burbank HS) with four seconds left all but secured the fifth victory in a row for the Purple and Gold.

 

“Three wins in five days is a major accomplishment,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “As a team, we played poised down the stretch against a quality Cal State Dominguez Hills squad. We are still marching toward our goal of participating in two playoffs.”

 

Hunter notched her second double-double of the year with a team-best 16 points to along with 11 rebounds, while Tate, who finished with 11 points and a game-high 14 boards en route to her 12^th double-double of the season, also established a new career standard with a game-high five assists. In addition, Nicole Hicks (Santa Clarita, Calif., Saugus HS) matched her season best of 12 points and pulled down five rebounds.

 

The Toros (9-14, 8-10 CCAA) were paced by Mixon, who tossed in a game-high 19 points and added 10 rebounds, while MacKenzie Mathias and Kayla Montalvo chipped in 13 points apiece.

 

Both sides shot 36.9 percent from the field on identical 24-of-65 shooting performances; however, the Gators made 12 more trips to the free-throw line, sinking 12 of its 19 attempts, while CSUDH was 5-for-7 from the charity stripe.

 

SF State seemed to poised to take control of the game early in the first half after a jumper by Jessica Hout-Freeman (Fremont, Calif., Washington HS)  gave the home team a 12-2 bulge at the 16:30 mark. However, the Toros clawed their way back into contention and eventually took the lead as a 3-pointer by Montalvo with 5:00 to go capped a 19-4 run, putting the visitors up 21-16.

 

The Gators then reeled off eight straight points, punctuated by another Hout-Freeman basket to go back in front 24-21 by the 3:17 mark. However, CSUDH promptly answered with Mathias' 3-pointer and layup on consecutive possessions to take a slim 26-24 lead into the locker room.

 

The Toros kept SF State at bay for most of the second half, building their largest advantage of the night at 40-32 on a Mixon jumper with 12:41 left in the period. In the next minute, Juliet Masei (Mojave, Calif., Desert HS, Dickinson State Univ.) hit a jumper and a 3-pointer on back-to-back trips down the court, narrowing the gap to 40-37 at the 11:44 mark.

 

Shortly thereafter, CSUDH stretched the margin back to seven at 47-40 after another Mathis triple with 8:31 to go. The Gators kept their composure, utilizing a 7-0 surge capped by Andrea Ohlssen's (Pacifica, Calif., Sacred Heart Cathedral HS, Cal Poly Pomona)3-pointer to tie the game at 47-47 with 4:17 to go.

 

The Toros answered with a 7-2 spurt, reclaiming a five-point cushion at the 2:49 mark on a Montalvo layup. SF State flashed its mettle, however, as Ohlssen connected on another trey with 1:42 remaining, trimming the margin to 54-52.  The Gators regained possession after two Toro field goal attempts went awry as Hunter ultimately came up with the clutch rebound, setting the stage for her game-tying basket moments after a timeout.

 

In the overtime period, SF State enjoyed a five-point lead when Hunter once again found herself in the right place at the right time, tipping in a missed Gator free throw at the 3:19 mark to make the score 61-56. CSUDH made things interesting at this juncture, as a layup by Brandie McCann and two Whitney Gantt free throws, cut the margin to 61-60 with nine seconds to go.