MONMOUTH, Ore. – The San Francisco State women's basketball team led by as much as seven early in the third quarter. Unfortunately, that's when host Western Oregon took over the game, going on a big run to take advantage of the game, holding on to win 72-63 in the opener of the Western Oregon/Hampton's Inn D2 Showdown at the New PE Building.
SF State (0-1) shot 44.8 percent from the floor, going 26-for-58 on the night. The Gators owned the paint, scoring 36 of their 63 points in the key. Defensively, the Gators did their job limiting the Wolves (1-0) to 39.7 percent shooting. The difference in the game was rebounding. Western Oregon outrebounded the Gators 45-31, including 19 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second chance points.
The Gators had four players finish the night in double-figures. They were led by
Kaitlin DaDalt who had 14 points to go along with her team-high eight rebounds.
Toni Edwards was second on the team with 12 points, followed by
Donae Moguel's 11 points and
Jasmine Black's 10.
SF State will return to action tomorrow afternoon when they wrap up the Western Oregon/Hamptons Inn D2 Showdown against Saint Martin's at noon.
GAME NOTES
Coaches Quote:
The game got away from us in the third quarter," said head coach
Dennis Cox. "We hit a three to go up seven and we seemed to relax defensively for the next 10 minutes. We can't have stretches like that and win games up here. We also have to get stronger on the boards. That was probably the difference in the game. They were more aggressive than we were."
Gator Debut
SF State had six players make their Gator debut, none more efficient than guard
Toni Edwards. Edwards finished with 12 points, going 4-for-5 from the floor and was 1-for-1 from 3-point range. Also playing for the purple and gold for the first time was
Kaitlin DaDalt,
Donae Moguel,
Jasmine Black,
Imani Smith, and
Erika Nilsen.
Ties And Lead Changes
In the season opener, the game between the Gators and Wolves featured four ties and six lead changes. Most of that coming in the first half that saw three ties and five lead changes. The last Gator lead came with the Gators up 39-38 with 4:55 in the third quarter.
Gators Solid From Long Range
SF State shot 16 3-point buckets on Saturday evening, connecting on five of them for a 31.3 shooting percentage.
Key Times
The Gators first bucket of the year was scored by
Kaitlin DaDalt with 7:44 to play in the first quarter. The layup came on an offensive rebound and was the first of her team-high 14 points. The layup came on an offensive rebound and was the first of her team-high 14 points. Their last lead came at 4:55 in the third, up 39-38. The final bucket by SF State was a jumper by
Imani Smith with 59 seconds left in the fourth, cutting the deficit to seven, 70-63.
Gators Largest Leads
SF State's largest lead was seven points with 8:59 to play in the third quarter. It came following a 3-point bucket by
Felicia Villarruel. Their largest lead in the opening half was five points that came with 1:34 to play in the half following a layup by
Donae Moguel.
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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.
