San Francisco – Surviving a 15-0 run that spanned the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, the SF State women's basketball won their second exhibition of the young season by a final score of 73-66 Saturday afternoon at the SF State Gymnasium at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.

With the Owls coming out on fire to start the second half the Gators needed a bucket.   Senior Michelle Sutton provided the spark, with a layup and the foul for the traditional three point play.  The Gators went on a 9-4 run to tie the game at 54-54 with 10:08 to play.   From there SF State held on with the help of strong free throw shooting.

The Gators converted 17-of-20 for the game but was 8-for-10 in the second half.   Sutton led the Gators with a game-high 22 points, nine of that coming in the second period.  Sutton also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.  Joining her in double figures was fellow senior Leticia Galarza who finished with 15 points and seven boards, and Brittany Allison who had 11 points, eight after the intermission.

As a team, SF State shot 38.8 from the floor going 26-for-67.  From behind the arc the Gators were cold hitting just 4-of-22, including a 0-for-8 stretch in the second half.

The Gators opened up to a comfortable lead in the first half.  With 9:17 in the first Jasmine Flanagan hit a jumper to put SF State out front 12, 27-15.  A bulk of the Gators offense came off of points in the paint and second chance points as SF State tallied 15 rebounds in the opening half, five on offense.  The Gators were shooting an impressive 61.5 to start the game.

Out of the third  media timeout the Owls made their run, aided with 11 made free throws, Oregon Tech started cutting into the Gators lead.  At the intermission the Gators held a slim 43-40 advantage.  In the second half the Owls picked up where they left off.  A layup, a jumper and a deep three, along with four made free throws had Oregon Tech out front seven to start the second period.

Four players ended up scoring in double figures for Oregon Tech who shot 37.0 percent from the field but was 20-for-22 from the charity stripe.  Leading the team in scoring was Karly LeVeque who had 13 points going 5-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-6 from behind the three point line.

With 2:10 left in the game, Oregon Tech's Carrie Thibault hit a deep three, cutting the Gators lead to four, 67-63.  It was the 10th point of the game for Thibault, all coming in the second half.

However, like they had all afternoon, SF State responded when Savannah Camp hit a jumper in the paint, from there the Gators got a bucket from Allison and free throws by Sutton to ice the game with 10 seconds to play to hold in 73-66.

The Gators were out rebounded by the Owls 41 to 36, but the bigger stat was the Gators offensive efficiency.  SF State turned the ball over just eight times but created 18 Oregon Tech turnovers.

SF State returns to action tomorrow night when they travel to Santa Clara, Calif., to take on the Broncos at 6 pm Leavy Center in their exhibition finale. 

Complete Box Score (HTML)

Post Game Video

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Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 12 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.

Gator Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments.  For more information, visit SF State Athletics' website, Twitter and Facebook pages.