Box Score
POMONA, Calif.--- The visiting SF State Gators built a 19-point first half lead and held on in the second half to defeat the No. 17 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos 56-53 this evening in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) game at Kellogg Gymnasium on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona.
Nicole Hicks recorded her third straight 20 –point game as she scored 22 points to lead the way for the Gators.
“This was a great team win against a nationally ranked team on the road,” said SF State Head Coach Dr. Joaquin Wallace. “We're getting better with each and every practice and game and it showed this evening in a win over a quality program such as Cal Poly Pomona.”
The Gators (4-12, 3-7 CCAA) moved into a tie for eighth place with Sonoma State with the win this evening. They held the Broncos to just 31% shooting from the field including just 29% shooting from three-point land. SF State forced 20 turnovers by Cal Poly Pomona, who was led by Sarah Semenero's double-double performance of 15-points and 10-rebounds. With the loss, the Broncos move into a three-way tie for third place in the league with Humboldt State and Cal State L.A.
Besides Hicks' 20-point performance,
Angela Van Sickel added 13 points. In her first collegiate start,
Michelle Hoehn scored a season high 6 points in 13 minutes. SF State also went 18-for-26 from the charity stripe with Hicks leading the way going 10-for-14 including two with 12 seconds left in regulation.
Lauren Varney's lay-up three minutes into the game capped a 6-0 run by the visitors. The Gators increased their lead to 20-4 at the 9:34 mark of the first half on two made free throws by Hicks. They continued to build on their first half lead as they extended it to 34-15 with just 62 seconds left in the half on another tow made free throws by Hicks.
Rachel Hatch's three-point cut the Gator lead to 34-18 heading into the locker room at the half.
Cal Poly Pomona (11-3, 7-3 CCAA) came out strong in the second half as the Broncos opened the new stanza with a 16-0 run capped by a three by Semenero to cut the Gator lead to 34-32 with 13:04 to go in the game.
Michaela Booker made two free throws as she was fouled on the Gator next possession to make it 36-32 visitors. SF State outscored the Broncos 16-10 in the next three minutes to take a 52-42 lead on another made free throw by Hicks.
The Broncos would not go away as they outscored their visitors 11-2 and cut the Gator lead to 54-53 on a three by Semenero with just 11 seconds left in regulation.
On the Gators' next possession, they missed a three but
Lauren Varney got the offensive rebound and SF State's Charnay Bell was fouled and sank both free throws to secure the Gator 56-53 win.
SF State will continue their three-game road trip this Friday, January 20 for a 5:30pm scheduled conference game with Cal State L.A. at the Eagles Nest on the campus of Cal State L.A.
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