SAN FRANCISCO – Donisha Tate (Oakland, Calif., Oakland HS, Las Positas College) notched her 13th double-double of the season with game highs of 19 points and 15 rebounds on Saturday as the San Francisco State women's basketball team closed out the home portion of its 2009-10 schedule on a winning note with a 66-58 Senior Night victory over Cal State East Bay in the Main Gymnasium.
The Gators (14-14, 10-10 California Collegiate Athletic Association) survived some anxious moments in the second half as the Pioneers (1-24, 1-19 CCAA) whittled a 34-24 halftime deficit down to two at 59-57 with 1:40 left to play. However, SF State persevered with five free throws and a crucial Tate tip-in down the stretch to seal the win.
In addition to Tate's heroics, the Gators also received a 12-point effort from Juliet Masei (Mojave, Calif., Desert HS, Dickinson State Univ.), who drained three 3-pointers, while Nicole Hicks (Santa Clarita, Calif., Saugus HS) finished with season bests of 12 rebounds and five steals to go along with a game-high four assists. Dominique Hunter (San Francisco, Calif., Gateway HS) also came up big on the glass with nine rebounds, while adding four blocks.
Conversely, the Pioneers were paced by Claudia Nelson's 18 points, while Emily Valenziano chipped 11 points of her own to go along with four steals.
SF State maintained a sizeable 57-39 advantage in rebounding, but was minus-10 in the turnover column (17-27), yielding 19 steals in the process. However, the Gators limited CSUEB to a 19-for-60 performance from the floor (31.7 percent), despite connected on just 22 of their own 58 field-goal attempts (37.1 percent).
The two teams slugged it out the early going until a tip-in by Kalia Williams (Los Angeles, Calif., San Jose State Univ.) and an Andrea Ohlssen (Pacifica, Calif., Cal Poly Pomona) free throw gave SF State a 19-12 cushion with 9:51 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers battled back, reeling off seven straight points, including an old-fashioned 3-point play by Nia Bravo at the 6:17 mark to draw the visitors even at 19-19.
However, the Gators took the lead for good on the ensuing possession after a Hunter layup, while a Masei's triple with 1:20 left in the period capped a 14-3 run, putting the host school up 33-22. Bravo then answered with a layup, while Masei added a foul shot in the closing moments to give the contest its 34-24 score at intermission.
A layup by Marlene MacMillan sliced the deficit to 36-30 with 16:20 to go in the second half; however, a Hunter free throw restored the Gators' 10-point bulge at 41-31 with 12:47 left on the clock.
The Pioneers would not go quietly as a 3-pointer by Nelson trimmed the margin to just two at 50-48 with 7:17 remaining. SF State responded to the challenge with a 9-2 run, punctuated by a Hunter layup at the 4:24 mark to forge a 59-50 lead.
CSUEB made a game of it once again as a consecutive layups by Nelson and Natalie Montes narrowed the gap to 59-57 with 1:40 left.
After a Hicks free throw, Tate displayed her resiliency, tipping in a missed layup to put the Gators in the driver's seat at 62-57 with 47 seconds to go. SF State sank four additional foul shots in the closing moments to cement the victory.
Prior to Saturday's contest, the Gators recognized their seven seniors, Ashlee Austin-Bean (Los Angeles, Calif., Bishop Montgomery HS), Jessica Hout-Freeman (Fremont, Calif., Washington HS), Juliet Masei, Andrea Ohlssen, ZaLisha Oliver (Sacramento, Calif., Luther Burbank HS), Donisha Tate, and Kalia Williams.
"I am so proud of our seniors for their effort the past four years," said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. "To watch them grow into mature young women is special. We are now one step closer to our goal of reaching the CCAA playoffs for the third consecutive season."
