ARCATA, Calif. – Andrea Ohlssen (Pacifica, Calif., Sacred Heart Cathedral HS, Cal Poly Pomona) and ZaLisha Oliver (Sacramento, Calif., Luther Burbank HS) scored season highs of 21 and 14 points, respectively, to lift the visiting San Francisco State women's basketball team to a gritty 63-61 triumph over Humboldt State Thursday evening at Lumberjack Arena.
Donisha Tate (Oakland, Calif., Oakland HS, Las Positas College) also reached double figures with 10 points to go along with a game-best nine rebounds, as the Gators overcame a nine-point deficit in the first half to raise their record to 9-13 overall and 5-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks slip to 14-5 on the season and 12-3 in conference play.
“We were able to put together 40 quality minutes in a very hostile environment,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “Humboldt State made it interesting toward the end, but to get a win here in Arcata is a feat in itself.”
The Gators limited the Jacks to 33.3 percent shooting on 20 of 60 field goal attempts, while converting on 22 of their 52 tries from the floor (42.3 percent). Ohlssen led the way, sinking 8 of her 11 shots, including a 3-for-4 clip from beyond the 3-point arc. SF State also maintained a distinct 36-18 advantage on points in the paint and out-rebounded HSU 30-23 on the defensive glass.
The Jacks were paced by Andrea Bobic's game-high 25 points, while Brittany Taylor added 16 in the loss.
HSU led for most of the first half, building a 26-17 advantage on a pair of Taylor free throws with 4:44 remaining. However, the Gators clawed their way back into contention with an 11-0 run as an Oliver 3-pointer with two seconds on the clock gave the visitors a 28-26 edge at intermission.
SF State kept the momentum into the second half, opening up their largest lead of the night at 47-35 on a Tate layup with 8:17 to go. The Jacks remained in striking distance, however, pulling to within three at 49-46 on a Bobic triple with 6:22 to go.
The Gators answered with a 10-5 spurt, punctuated by Dominique Hunter's (San Francisco, Calif., Gateway HS) layup at the 2:13 mark to increase the margin to 59-51. HSU would not go quietly as another Bobic 3-pointer on the heels of two Oliver foul shots brought the host school to within three at 61-58 with 19 seconds to go.
Oliver, who went 7 of 10 from the charity stripe, hit another clutch free throw at the other end before Luisa Osborne hit a triple to bring the Jacks to within one at 62-61. However, only one second remained on the clock as Nicole Hicks (Santa Clarita, Calif., Saugus HS) subsequently sank a foul shot to cement the hard-fought victory.
SF State closes out its four-game road swing on Saturday with another CCAA tilt at Sonoma State. Opening tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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