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SAN FRANCISCO – The visiting Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to escape with a 44-36 victory over San Francisco State on Wednesday in the 2011-12 California Collegiate Athletic Association opener for both teams at The Swamp.
The Broncos (1-0 CCAA) scored the game's final 18 points over the last 8:45 to remain unbeaten on the young season at 3-0, while the Gators (0-1 CCAA) slip to 0-3 overall, despite
Nicole Hicks' game highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“After building that big lead, we lost focus,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “Pomona is a quality opponent, so we now have a measuring stick to gauge where our team needs improvement.”
CPP received 13 points apiece from Sarah Semenero and Megan Ford, who also tied Hicks with 11 caroms, while Charlene Popoff (6 points) pulled down 10 boards of her own.
As a team, the Gators maintained a 51-35 rebounding advantage, including a 20-7 edge on the offensive glass. However, CPP won the turnover battle (17-24), out-scoring the Purple and Gold 19-15 off those miscues to go along with a 14-8 point advantage in the paint.
In addition to Hicks' totals,
Michaela Booker also contributed to the SF State cause with 12 points and nine rebounds, while
Farrah Shokoor added nine boards as well.
The two teams connected on 14 shots apiece during the defensive struggle, with the Broncos holding a slight edge in field-goal percentage (28.6-25.0). However, the Gators were just 2-for-17 from beyond the 3-point arc, compared to CPP's 4-for-9 clip.
With the score knotted at 7-7, a Hicks jumper and a
Lauren Varney free throw served as bookends to a 9-0 run that put SF State up 16-7 with 5:39 remaining in the first half.
The Broncos missed eight consecutive shots during that stretch, until a 3-pointer by Jennifer Bryant broke the drought at the 4:49 mark. CPP forced a quick turnover just moments later as Ford drained a jumper to cut the deficit to four at 16-12.
However, the Gators boosted their lead back to seven on two occasions, including a 21-14 spread on a Hicks layup with one second left on the clock.
Following the break, the Broncos reeled off eight straight points during the first two minutes of the second half, capped by a pair of Ford foul shots to nudge their way in front 22-21.
The scrappy SF State squad responded to the challenge, however, uncorking a 15-4 flurry over the ensuing nine minutes and six seconds to grab a seemingly comfortable 36-26 lead. Booker sank three jumpers during that stretch, including a long 3-pointer from the left corner with 8:56 left to play.
With thoughts of an upset brewing against the defending NCAA Division II West Region champions percolating in the gym, the Broncos had other ideas. Ariel Marsh immediately answered Booker's tally with a triple of her own, while Lauren Goecke and Semenero both added buckets following consecutive Gator misses to quickly trim the deficit to 36-33 by the 7:12 mark.
CPP then hit three free throws over the next 4:37, before Semenero dialed up from long range with a 3-pointer to put the visitors up for good at 39-36 with 2:35 remaining. The Gators misfired on their final 12 attempts from the field, including five in the last two minutes as two Popoff foul shots with 33 seconds left accounted for the final score.
SF State will step out of conference this weekend when it travels to Phoenix, Ariz., to compete in the Grand Canyon University Thanksgiving Tournament. The Gators will square off against GCU on Friday, beginning at 5 p.m., before returning to the court on Saturday to face Missouri S&T, starting at 1 p.m.
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