SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco State women's basketball team gave first-place UC San Diego all it could handle on Friday, but came up on the short end of a 58-50 score in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match-up in the Main Gymnasium.
The Gators were unable to build on a 26-22 halftime lead, dipping to 13-14 on the season and 9-10 in conference play, while the Tritons raise their record to 22-2 overall and 17-2 in the CCAA.
“We played hard against a quality UCSD squad,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “Free throws hurt us in the end and turnovers were critical. Overall, we need to put this game behind us and focus on Cal State East Bay tomorrow for Senior Night.”
As reflected in the final stat sheet, the contest was evenly played for the most part, with the Tritons shooting 43.4 percent from the floor on 23-of-53 field goal attempts, compared to the Gators' 20-for-47 performance (42.6 percent). Despite SF State maintaining a slim 31-29 edge in rebounding, UCSD outscored the host school 26-18 on points in the paint and 17-14 off turnovers.
Andrea Ohlssen (Pacifica, Calif., Sacred Heart Cathedral HS, Cal Poly Pomona) led the Gators with 13 points, including a 3-for-5 effort from beyond the 3-point arc, while Dominique Hunter (San Francisco, Calif., Gateway HS) posted game-highs of 13 rebounds and three blocks.
The Tritons had three players reach double figures, including Chelsea Carlisle's game-best 14 points, while Annette Ilg and Tiffany Hunter tossed in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
SF State jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first half on a pair of free throws by Nicole Hicks (Santa Clarita, Calif., Saugus HS) at the 13:09 mark. However, UCSD responded with a 15-3 run, capped by an Ilg 3-pointer with 8:32 remaining to go up by seven, 19-12.
Undaunted, the Gators picked themselves off the mat, closing the half with 14-3 surge of their own, as consecutive baskets by Jessica Hout-Freeman (Fremont, Calif., Washington HS) and Kalia Williams (Los Angeles, Calif., Saint Monica HS, San Jose State Univ.) in the final 1:23, gave the hosts a 26-22 edge at intermission.
SF State could not sustain that momentum into the second half, however, misfiring on its first four shots, while UCSD reeled off seven straight points, punctuated by another Ilg triple at the 16:20 mark to put the visitors up for good at 29-26. Then just over three minutes later, the Tritons extended the margin to six at 39-33 following a 3-point play by Lauren Freidenberg with 13:15 to go.
The Gators managed to narrow the gap to one on three occasions, but were stymied in their quest to gain the upper hand as UCSD answered each threat with a basket of its own. After a tip-in by Donisha Tate (Oakland, Calif., Oakland HS, Las Positas College) trimmed the deficit to 49-48 with 4:09 remaining, Carlislie converted an old fashioned 3-point play at the other end, restoring the Tritons' four-point edge at 52-48.
After a Hout-Freeman jumper and a UCSD turnover, SF State went to the foul line with a chance to tie at the 2:04 mark. The Gators, however, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity, while Tiffany Hunter's layup put the Tritons in the driver's seat at 54-50 with just 1:31 to go.
UCSD then sank four free throws in the final 48 seconds to escape with the win.
SF State, which is now tied for sixth place with Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA with three games to play, returns to action on Saturday with a clash against Cal State East Bay, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Prior to tip-off, the Gators will hold a brief ceremony to honor their 2009-10 senior class.
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