Box Score SAN FRANCISCO --- The San Francisco State women's basketball team showed much improvement over last night's defeat to UC San Diego, turning around to grab a 52-42 victory over Cal State San Bernardino Saturday night. The Gators held a 27-14 lead at halftime--the lowest an opponent has scored in the first half--and finished out the game, completing key free throws in the last minute to seal the deal.

"We bounced back well after a difficult loss last night," said head coach Dr. Joaquin Wallace.

With the win, SF State jumps to 9-7 on the season and 6-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. CSUSB drops to 6-10 overall and 4-8 in the CCAA with the loss.

Nicole Hicks and Farrah Shokoor paired up to lead the Gators points-wise, with each grabbing 14 points. Shokoor was on the brink of a double-double, needing to add just one more rebound to her nine boards. Michaela Booker also finished with double-digits, picking up 10 points for the Gators.

Nicole Chapple and Eliza Dy combined for half of the Coyotes points, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively. Jaslyn Cosey led the team's effort off the glass, finishing with seven rebounds on the night.

A battle ensued in the first five minutes of the contest as each team tried to establish itself early. The Gators took the first lead of the night, but CSUSB was right there with them to take it back at 4-2. Shokoor's layup tied the game at 4-4 and sparked a 11-0 run for SF State. Up 11-4, Shokoor was sent to the line for the first free throws of the night and finished both to set the tone for the Gators, shaking off last night's 44-percent effort at the charity stripe.

"I thought our energy level was extremely high during the first ten minutes of the game," said Wallace. "It gave us confidence throughout the first half."

Cosey found a basket in the paint to stop the bleeding momentarily, but the Gators held the Coyotes scoreless for six and a half minutes, meanwhile adding another six points to the SF State collumn to take a 19-6 commanding lead.CSUSB managed to cut the lead to eight points at 22-14, but Jennifer Le hit a shot from the perimeter with just two seconds on the shot clock, bouncing it in off the backboard to once again give the Gators a double-digit lead. Shokoor snagged one of her three steals of the night with a minute before halftime, finding Hicks for an easy layup to put the Coyotes in a 27-14 hole after the first period.

Already up by 13 points, SF State came out of the locker room looking to keep the momentum building. Five minutes into the half, the Gators found their largest lead of the night with a 16-point advantage over the Coyotes at 31-15. 

Determined to get back in the game, CSUSB cut the lead in half in four minutes, taking advantage of missed opportunities and miscommunication from the Gators. SF State built the double-digit lead back up, but struggled to keep the Coyotes at bay as Cal State San Bernardino brought the game within three points coming down the stretch.

With the Coyotes closing in on San Francisco State, the Gators knew they needed to close out the game. Despite CSUSB's high intensity pressure as the Coyotes trailed 46-42, SF State buckled down and finished the game with a 6-0 run, making four crucial free throw shots in the last 30 seconds to seal the victory at 52-42.

The Gators head out on the road next week, but don't have to travel too far as they make their way to Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday and Cal State East Bay on Saturday. Both games begin at 5:30 p.m. and kick off the second half of the CCAA season. Earlier this year, SF State fell 46-38 to CSUEB, but beat the Otters 49-38 to grab a split on the weekend.

"Going into the second half of the season, we have to prepare to playy against stiff competition, as each of the teams have improved tremendously," said Wallace. "Therefore, we have to be focused and determined to play each game with purpose."