SAN FRANCISCO – Then San Francisco State women's basketball team has a busy week this week, playing three contests starting with Tuesday's home opener against Holy Names. The Gators will also host UC Merced on Friday before wrapping up the week against Dominican in San Rafael.
SF State makes will make its home debut after going 0-2 at the Western Oregon/Hampton Inn D2 Showdown in Monmouth, Ore., last weekend. The Gators fell to host Western Oregon 72-63 before wrapping up the weekend, falling to Saint Martin's 66-62.
As a team, the Gators are averaging 62.5 points per contest, shooting 43.2 percent as a team. Their opponents are averaging 69.0 points per game in the early going, and shooting 41.9 percent from the floor against SF State.
Following this week's slate of games, the Gators will host William Jessup on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the Swamp, they then head back out on the road to take on Fresno Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2:30 p.m. at the Fresno Events Center.
GAME NOTES
By the numbers
Through two games, SF State is averaging 62.5 points per game and shooting 43.2 percent from the field. Last season, the Gators averaged 51.9 points per game while shooting 34.3 percent from the field. SF State had only eight games all year in which the team shot better than 40 percent.
Bench Making Big Contributions
Through two games, the SF State bench has been a huge source of scoring. In the season opener against Western Oregon, the Gators bench tallied 37 points. They wrapped up the weekend scoring 35 against Saint Martin's.
Crashing The Glass
The Gators were out-rebounded 80-59 over the weekend. Of the 80 rebounds the Gators gave up, 33 offensive rebounds that led to 28 second chance points for the Wolves and Saints.
Making Their Gator Debut
SF State had six players make their official debut this weekend and made an immediate contribution.
Kaitlin DaDalt (22 points),
Imani Smith (17),
Erika Nilsen (4),
Toni Edwards (14),
Donae Moguel (27), and
Jasmine Black (22) combined to score 106 of the Gators 125 points.
Gators From Long Range
SF State let it fly from long range over the weekend. The Gators launched 42 shots from 3-point range, connecting on 14 of them for a 33.3 percentage. Last season, SF State attempted 475 making 126 for a 26.5 3-point field goal percentage. Over the weekend
Jasmine Black led the Gators going 6-for-15 from long range.
Where To Catch The Action
All three matches will feature live stats and video. The video is a pay-per-view service provided by Boxcast.com and can be accessed on the women's basketball schedule page. The video will be available 15 minutes prior to first serve. The live stats are a free service and can also be accessed on the women's basketball schedule page. Saturday's video is provided by Stretch Internet and is a free service.
About The Hawks
Tuesday's game against the Gators will be the first official game as an active member of the NCAA Division II. The Hawks enter their fourth year under head coach Dave Covell. Last season, they went 8-20 overall, including a 7-13 mark in the PacWest Conference. They averaged 55.4 points per game last season, shooting 34.1 percent from the floor. Their opponents averaged 67.9 points per game, while shooting 43.0 percent from the field. They Hawks went 0-2 in their exhibition schedule, falling to Sacramento State 92-55 before losing to UC Davis on Sunday 91-51.
Who To Watch
Fifth year senior Garysha Youngblood returns as HNU's lead scorer from 2015-16, she averaged 10.7 points per game, while also tallying 61 assists. Against Sacramento State she scored seven points. Newcomers Jeana Magana and Tatiana Howard had big games in the pre-season. Magan scored 16 points against the Hornets, while Howard scored 10 points and grabbed 19 rebounds against Sacramento State.
Series Versus The Hawks
All-time the Gators are 7-2 against Holy Names in a series that dates back to the 1997-98 season. The first time these two teams met, the Gators defeated the Hawks 70-64 at The Swamp. The last time these two teams faced each other was the 2013-14 season where the Gators took down Holy Names 95-65.
About UC Merced
UC Merced, a member of the NAIA, was last year's California Pacific Conference champion and the winner of the last two conference tournaments. The Bobcats return three players who received all-Cal Pac recognition last season--including Player of the Year Courtney Danna--and was picked by conference coaches to repeat as title winners again this season. This season, they are 1-2 overall, the last time out they lost to Menlo 70-57.
Who To Watch
Senior guard Courtney Danna was named the 2015-16 Cal Pac player of the year as a junior. She started 24 games and averaged 12.8 points per game. This season she has yet to suit up for the Bobcats.
Series Versus The Bobcats
This is the first time San Francisco State and UC Merced have played each other.
About The Penguins
Dominican was picked to finish sixth in the PacWest Preseason Coaches' Poll. Over the weekend, the Penguins went 1-1 at the CCAA/PacWest Showdown hosted by Notre Dame de Namur. They defeated Chico State 80-67 before falling to Sonoma State 87-84 in the tournament finale. As a team, the Penguins average 82 points per game, shooting 40.4 percent from the floor. Their opponents are averaging 77.0 points per game, shooting 37.0 percent from the field. On the glass they average 42.5 rebounds per game.
Who To Watch
Junior forward Sandra Ikeora was one of seven players picked to the All-PacWest Preseason Team ahead of the 2016-17 season. Ikeora was an All-PacWest Second Team selection in the 2015-16 season where she made 21 starts, tallied nine double-doubles and averaged 14.2 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. Last weekend, she averaged 16.0 points per game while grabbing 11.5 rebounds per contest.
Series Versus The Penguins
All-time the Gators are 9-1 against Dominican in a series that dates back to the 1994-95 season. The first time these teams squared off was on Nov. 30, 1994 when SF State defeated Dominican 66-60. The last time these two teams faced each other was last season in San Francisco State as the Penguins defeated the Gators 72-62 in San Francisco on Nov. 21.
--
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.
