SAN FRANCISCO – Bree Halsey's tip-in with two seconds left on the clock lifted the visiting Humboldt State women's basketball team to a 66-65 victory over San Francisco State in a California Collegiate Athletic Association game Friday at the Main Gymnasium.
The Gators (4-19, 4-15 CCAA) took a 65-64 lead on a pair of
Erica Greer free throws with 16 seconds to go, but could not come up with a stop on the Lumberjacks (13-10, 10-9 CCAA) final possession as Halsey corralled a loose ball after Jenna Hamilton's short jumper was blocked and put home the game winner.
“Our kids played very hard,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “We just weren't able to capitalize in the first half. However, we are still fighting for the final seed (in the conference tournament) and tomorrow's game is extremely critical.”
As a team, SF State owned a distinct 56-41 rebounding advantage, including a 28-12 margin on the offensive end. Individually, three Gators finished with season-highs on the glass, including nine apiece by Miller and
Jasmin Rowland, while Greer added eight boards of her own.
In addition, SF State was a plus-13 in free-throws made (17-4); however, the Purple and Gold was unable to match HSU's prowess from 3-point range as the visitors connected on 12-of 28 shots from beyond the arc. Lisa Petty and Kayla Williams drained five triples each as the duo topped all scorers with 21 and 17 points, respectively. Petty also grabbed 10 rebounds, while Hamilton dished out a game-high five assists in the winning effort.
Still, the Gators grabbed a 12-5 lead early in the first half on a Hicks jumper at the 15:38 mark. However, the host school was limited to a pair of foul shots over the next 3:38 as the Jacks fashioned a 13-2 run to go out in front 18-14 with 12:06 before intermission.
Booker's layup on SF State's next possession ended the drought, but the host school remained in pursuit mode for the remainder of the period. HSU managed to stretch the margin to 11, following a Jeannette Dewitt layup with 36 seconds to go, before Miller answered with a tip-in with nine ticks left to give the contest its 38-29 score at the break.
The Gators were victimized by cold shooting in the first half, converting just 9 of 42 field-goal attempts (21.4 percent), while the Jacks entered the locker room on a 15-for-30 clip.
SF State scraped off the rust in the second half and methodically chipped away at the deficit as a Hicks free throw and Miller tip-in put the Purple and Gold ahead 56-51 with 7:07 remaining to punctuate a 27-13 outburst.
HSU temporarily stalled the Gators' momentum after Petty knocked down a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. However, Hunter responded with a three-play the old-fashioned way on a layup and free throw to become the ninth player in SF State history to surpass the career 1,000-point barrier.
After a Hicks jumper extended the Gator lead to four at 61-57 with 4:38 left on the clock, the Jacks rattled off seven straight points over the next 3:30 on a 3-pointer and a jumper by Petty, while Hamilton sank two foul shots, giving the visitors a 64-61 cushion.
SF State missed three field-goals of its own and committed a trio of turnovers as well during that span, but Miller helped right the ship with a bank shot that found net, which narrowed the gap to 64-63 with 56 seconds remaining.
The two sides were unable to convert on their ensuing possessions, but Hamilton committed a foul after a defensive rebound, which sent Greer to the line for her go-ahead free throws. With the Gators on the cusp of their fourth-straight victory, however, Halsey dashed the Purple and Gold's hopes with her heroics just before the buzzer.
SF State will have little time to dwell on its defeat as Sonoma State invades “The Swamp” on Saturday, starting at 5:30 p.m. The Seawolves, who lead the Gators by a game in the race for the final CCAA playoff spot, were defeated by Cal State Monterey Bay on the road Friday, 69-52.
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