SAN FRANCISCO – Trailing by as much as 20 points midway through the first and 13 at the intermission, the SF State women's basketball played their most complete half of basketball, eventually cutting the deficit to five, before falling 65-56 against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.

The Gators (0-15/0-11 CCAA) outscored the Toros 35-31 in the final period and shot over 45 percent from the floor, going 14-for-30.  Senior forward Kristian Juarez provided a big push for the Gators, scoring eight of her career-high 13 points after the intermission.  She and fellow senior Michelle Sutton were the only Gators in double figures, Sutton finished with a team-high 15 points.  In all, nine Gators scored in the evening.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Gators forced 11 second half turnovers that led to 17 points.  The relentless defense also forced the Toros into longer shots which led to longer rebounds mitigating the Toros size advantage down low.  For the game the Cal State Dominguez Hills shot a paltry 7-for-21 from deep including 3-for-9 after the break. 

With 17:26 in the second half, a layup by the Toros' Tayler Champion gave CSUDH an 18 point lead, their largest of the second half.  Over the next seven minutes the Gators cut that lead to 10 following a spurt of hot three point shooting by Juarez and Sutton.

With 3:58 in the game Jasmine Flanagan dumped a ball off to Jayzyl Tauala who finished to bring the Gators within five points.  That was as close as they would get.  Over the final three minutes neither team would score from the field but four-straight free throws in the final 14 seconds by the Toros' Talia Rayford sealed the deal.

In the opening minutes the Gators had trouble finding their offensive momentum.  The Gators scored twice on inside jump shots by Liz Wyrsch and Taylor Ingraham but were cold from beyond the arc opening up the game 0-for-7 from three point range.

Meanwhile, the Toros took advantage of the game in the paint.  CSUDH raced out to an early 25-8 lead at the second media timeout, a bulk of the damage coming from layups, scoring 16 points in the paint. 

Cal State Dominguez Hills (14-5/9-2 CCAA) had three players in double figures and was led by Champion who scored a game-high 16 points, eight coming in the first half.

The Gators return to action tomorrow night when they host Cal State L.A. at 5:30 p.m. at the Main Gym at the Don Nasser Family Plaza. 

Complete Box Score (HTML)

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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.