SAN MARCOS, California - Strong defensive play powered the San Francisco State women's basketball team to a 53-49 road win over Cal State San Marcos, who is receiving votes in the Division II West Region Media Poll.
- The Gators (3-7/2-3 CCAA) snapped their three-game losing streak against the Cougars (5-3/2-2 CCAA) and earn their first win over San Marcos since 2016.
- The 49 points conceded are the fewest allowed this season and lowest since December 17, 2017 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
- SF State shot a season-high .460 (23-50) while holding the hosts to a .322 shooting percentage, which is the second lowest allowed this year.
- Toni Edwards dropped 11 points and Jhaina Stephens followed with ten and four rebounds. Taimane Lesa-Hardee and Danielle Palmer each scored eight points, with Palmer's being a season high and she also led the way with five rebounds.
Lesa-Hardee made a three to put SF State up 7-5 with 8:03 remaining in the first. The Gators then went up 14-9 after back-to-back jumpers by Amani Alexander and Stephens, and Alexander added another basket to widen the lead to seven. A pair of Cougar free throws narrowed the Gator lead to 18-13 at the end of the first.
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Edwards and Palmer started the second with jumpers, and Palmer added another basket a few possessions later off a dish from Megan Cistulli. The offensive showcase continued with Taisia Fleming dropping a triple from the left and Cistulli getting in the score column with a two-pointer to put the visitors up 29-16. The Cougars inched closer from the charity stripe, and Edwards closed out the half from the line for the 36-20 advantage. The SF State defense held San Marcos to just seven points in that second quarter, while the offense dropped 18.
San Marcos stormed out of the break to make it 38-26 on a layup by Emma Forel before Kaleigh Pugh sucked a contested layup with 7:49 left. Isabella Lamonea drew a foul and hit the resulting layup midway through the frame, brining things to 43-34 as the Gators developed a formidable lead. Stephens closed out the third with a pair of layups, giving SF State a 49-35 lead into the final ten minutes.
The Gators relied on defense in the final quarter to fend off the Cougars and only scored four points in the last period, which came from layups by Stephens and Edwards. San Marcos made it a two-point contest at 51-49 with 1:47 remaining in regulation, but Edwards gave the Gators an insurance bucket to put the game out of reach. SF State contested a pair of three pointers with under 30 seconds and Palmer grabbed the key defensive board to ice the game.
Courtside season tickets are still available for the 2018-19 season. A full season, which guarantees courtside seating for all twelve of San Francisco State's home conference basketball doubleheaders, is $250 per seat. For more information, visit sfstategators.com/courtside.
The Golden Gators return home on Thursday, December 13 as they take on Cal State San Bernardino at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and a live stream will be provided.
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