CARSON, Calif. – The SF State women's basketball team battled all evening, putting a scare into the top team in the conference, ultimately, the Gators fell 65-55 on Friday night at the Torodome.  The Gators scored 15 points off turnovers, but the Toros dominated the paint, scoring 32 points in the key.
 
SF State (5-13/3-9 CCAA) shot 33.3 percent from the field on the evening, going 21-for-63 from the floor.  From beyond the arc the Gators were 6-for-20, going 3-for-10 in each half.  Leading the team in scoring was senior guard Tatsiana Dashkevich who scored a game-high 15 points, eight coming in the first half. 
 
The Gators kept things tight throughout the game, never going down by more than 10 points until the final minute.  SF State even took the lead early in the third quarter, capping off an 8-0 run that spanned the end of the second quarter and the first four points of the third.  SF State's lead was short lived as the Toros went on a big run of their own to retake the lead for good.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills (14-6/12-0 CCAA) had three players in double figures on Friday evening and was led by Imari Brown who scored a game-high 20 points, all coming off the bench.  Brown shot 9-for-14 from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds.  As a team, the Toros shot 43.9 percent from the field.
 
In the opening quarter the Gators came out on fire, connecting on 4-for-7 from the field to take an early 9-8 lead.  The Toros responded closing out the final 5:32 of the first quarter going on an 11-3 run, shooting 5-for-9 from the field.  SF State responded during that run going 1-for-8. 
 
Trailing 19-12 heading into the second quarter, the Gators defense and offense came to life.  With SF State's offense shooting 6-for-15 in the second period.  Meanwhile, they held the Toros to just three field goals in the period.  Dashkevich led the Gators with five points.  The half ended with Naila Washington hitting a layup as the time expired, sending the Gators into the locker room, trailing the Toros by three, down 28-25.
 
After the intermission, the Gators opened the third quarter on a 4-0 run to take a 29-28 lead.  The Toros responded with a 13-2 run of their own that proved to be the difference.  CSUDH went back up by 10 points with 2:31 in the period.  Early in the fourth quarter the Gators refused to go down quietly.  SF State cut the deficit to five points when Felicia Villarruel drained a three on the feed from Dashkevich.
 
Five points was as close as SF State could get, the Toros closed out the game on an 11-4 run to put the game away.
 
SF State returns to action tomorrow night when they take on Cal State L.A. at the Eagles Nest.  Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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Complete Box Score (PDF)

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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.

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