SAN FRANCISCO – The SF State women's basketball team rallied late in the second half, but ultimately fell in the 2014-15 season opener, 78-67. The Gators struggled to rebound, finding it difficult to compete with Minnesota State – Moorhead's size advantage on Thursday night at the SF State Gymnasium at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.
The Gators (0-1) trailed by as much as 22 with 8:35 late in the second half, 68-46, but made adjustments on the fly and went on a run, eventually cutting the Dragon's (1-2) lead to 11 with 1:56 remaining.
Ultimately MSMU's size advantage played a role in the defeat outrebounding the Gators by a 48 to 26 margin. The Dragons recorded 32 points in the paint on Thursday night and kept offensive possessions alive with 22 second chance points.
Leading the way for the Gators was the career night by junior guard
Jasmine Flanagan who poured in a career-high 20 points, going 5-for-17 from the floor including 3-for-9 from distance and 7-for-10 from the charity stripe. She also added seven boards and three assists.
Joining Flanagan in double figures was
Michelle Sutton who scored 17, shooting 5-for-13 from the floor and was 6-for-7 from the free throw line. The highlight of her evening was the four point play early in the first half.
Leticia Galarza chipped in 12 on the evening with two rebounds and four assists.
The opening possession for the Gators looked promising. SF State jumped out to the early 3-0 lead on a wide open look by Galarza from the corner. From that point on the Dragons took advantage of their size and scored a bulk of their points in the first half in the paint. In the first MSUM shot 51.6 percent going 16-for-31 from the floor.
Sutton's four point play briefly tied the game at 13-13 with 11:56 in the first half but the Dragons proceeded to go on a 17-3 run to take 30-16 lead with 5:31 in the opening period. The Gators closed out the half on a big run of their own, eventually cutting the lead to 10 with 14 seconds left on a three by Flanagan that banked in from the corner, the two sides went into their respective locker rooms with the Dragons leading 42-32.
In the second half the Dragons' Meghan Roehrich caught fire. After going 0-for-5 from three point land in the first half she lit up the scoreboard going 5-for-6 after the intermission. She finished with a game-high 32 points to go along with her six rebounds and five assists.
The Gators return to action on Saturday at 1:00 P.M. when they travel to Belmont, Calif. To take on Notre Dame de Namur.
Complete Box Score (HTML)Post Game Video--
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.
