SAN FRANCISCO – A hot second half from 3-point range was the difference tonight as the SF State women's basketball team defeated visiting Cal Poly Pomona 49-44 Saturday night at The Swamp at the Don Nasser Family Plaza.
The Gators (6-15/4-11 CCAA) connected on seven three point buckets after the intermission, while playing stingy defense, holding the Broncos to 28.3 percent shooting on the evening. Guard
Felicia Villarruel led the Gators with 18 points, going off from distance. She finished the night shooting 6-for-13 from the field, including 5-for-12 from 3-point range, in the second half alone she was 3-for-4.
Senior guard
Tatsiana Dashkevich also joined Villarruel in double figures. She finished the night with 12 points, going 4-for-11 from the field, all from 3-point range, where she was 4-for-8. She also grabbed four rebounds.
The Gator bigs proved a huge spark for SF State. The quartet of
Laura Lawson,
Naila Washington,
Kiara Ginwright, and
Kayla Watterson did an exceptional job of forcing the Broncos (8-14/6-9 CCAA) to settle for difficult shots. The Broncos shot just 28 percent in the opening half, going 7-for-25 from the floor. They did outrebound the Gators 43-33, with 20 of those rebounds coming on the offensive side of the ball, but SF State was relentless and made sure that the Broncos earned everything.
Ginwright finished the night nearly tallying a double-double with blocks and rebounds. She finished the evening with four points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
In the opening quarter the Gators jumped out to an early 10-7 lead thanks to the hot start from Villarruel. Back-to-back three point buckets from the corners had the Gators out front 10-5 in the early going. Neither side could capitalize on several point blank attempts from inside the key, both sides started a combined 2-for-13 from the field.
In the second quarter the Broncos used a 9-0 run to take their biggest lead of the night, going up 20-13. During that stretch the Gators were 0-for-8 from the field, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range. During that time the Broncos turned four Gator turnovers into six points.
In a back and forth game that featured 11 lead changes and five tie scores, a 9-0 run to close out the third quarter and open the fourth gave SF State a lead they would not relinquish. A 3-point bucket by Dashkevich with 3:03 left in the game proved to be the dagger as the Broncos could not overcome the six point deficit.
SF State returns to action on Tuesday when they travel to Rohnert Park to take on Sonoma State at the Wolves Den. Tip-off is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start time.
Complete Box Score (
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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.
