SAN FRANCISCO – Nicole Hicks poured in a career-high 26 points and Dominique Hunter added 18 points and 18 rebounds to lift the San Francisco State women's basketball team to a 73-70 triumph over Cal State Stanislaus Thursday evening inside the Main Gymnasium.

 

With the victory, the Gators (6-19) remain tied with Sonoma State for the eighth in the conference standings at 6-15, keeping their hopes alive for a berth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association playoffs with one game left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Warriors fall to 13-12 overall and 11-10 in league play.

 

“I was very proud of our effort tonight,” said SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace. “We were able to find a way to win and put ourselves in position to play on. It's a one-game season for us on Friday and I am hopeful we can pull it out.”

 

Despite 21 turnovers and draining one 3-pointer on the night (1-1), the Gators owned a sizable 46-31 advantage on the boards and finished at plus-8 in free throws made (28-20). SF State also shot 22-for-50 from the field (44 percent), including a 15-for-29 clip in the first half (51.7 percent) while limiting CSUS to a 23-for-66 overall performance from the floor.

 

In addition to Hicks' point production, which included eight crucial free throws in the second half, the Gator sophomore also tied a season best with eight rebounds and added a team-high three steals. Hunter, meanwhile, logged her 17^th double-double of the year and 11^th in her last 13 games to go along with a personal-best six assists. 

 

Erica Greer also surpassed the double-digit plateau with 10 points of her own, while Sherika Miller finished with nine, sinking seven foul shots.

 

On the flip side, the Warriors were paced by Christin Gowan's 16 points, followed by Katie Busi (15 pts., 8 rebounds) and Theresa Henderson (11 pts.).

 

The two sides battled through six ties and three lead changes during the first 12:21 of the first half, when Greer connected for SF State's lone triple of the evening, putting the host school in front for good at 21-18 with 7:39 remaining in the period. The Gators soon stretched the margin to nine on two occasions, including a 31-22 spread after a Hicks jumper with 3:06 to go.

 

CSUS kept the deficit to within single digits as a Henderson layup with two ticks left on the clock accounted for the 39-33 halftime score.

 

SF State was never headed in the second half, despite converting just seven of 21 field-attempts (33.3 pct). However, the Purple and Gold essentially clinched the game at the charity stripe, sinking 20 of 28 free-throw attempts following intermission.

 

The Gators built a trio of nine-point advantages as well, including a 60-51 bulge on a Hicks layup at the 3:06 mark. Although that proved to be SF State's last basket from the floor in the contest, the Warriors were unable to capitalize, drawing as close as three points at 69-66 on a Gowen 3-pointer but with only 17 seconds left to play.

 

Forced to foul, CSUS could not make up any further ground, as Hicks and Booker each drained a pair of free throws in the remaining time to seal the win.

 

The Gators will close out their regular-season schedule at home on Friday with a showdown against Chico State, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Wildcats (14-11, 11-10 CCAA) dropped a 54-48 decision to Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday. Prior to the Friday's game, SF State will recognize both squads' seniors, including the Gators own Dominique Hunter.

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