SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco State women's basketball team fell 50-39 to Cal State Los Angeles on Thursday night.
- Jhaina Stephens recorded her seventh double-double of the season and 19th of her career with 14 points and ten rebounds. Forwards Madison Corder and Danielle Palmer each dropped seven.
- Toni Edwards dished out six assists to lead all players. Taimane Lesa-Hardee added six points on a pair of three-pointers.
- The 39 points scored are the fewest scored this season by SF State (8-11/7-7 CCAA), and the 29 percent (14-of-48) from the floor is the second-lowest shooting performance. The 50 points allowed are the second-fewest conceded this year.
- The Gators held the Golden Eagles (7-11/4-10 CCAA) to 30 percent (19-of-63) shooting, tying the second-lowest mark allowed this season.
Stephens gave the Gators an early 4-2 lead with a pair of buckets and Lesa-Hardee made it a five-point lead with a three from the right side off an assist from Isabella Lamonea. Corder added a jumper at the top of the key to put SF State up 9-4, but the Golden Eagles cut it to one with baskets from Madison Adams and Mackenzie Barnes, and took a 10-9 lead after Chiderah Uzowuru, who is fourth in the CCAA with 15.8 PPG heading into tonight, made a pair from the line. Adams added another layup to make an 8-0 run and go up 12-9 at the end of the quarter.
Another Los Angeles basket started the second before Palmer ended the run with her first points of the night, narrowing the deficit to 14-11. The visitors pushed their lead to 19-13 with a 5-0 surge, and Adams continued her strong offensive play going three-of-four from the field. Offensively the Gators hit a standstill, going scoreless for over four minutes and 0-for-8 from the floor before Stephens ended the drought with a floater in the paint off a steal and assist from Edwards.
Lamonea hit a three from the corner off a Stephens assist to make it 25-20, but the visitors answered with a bucket the other way to go back up by seven. Midway through the quarter Stephens added a jumper in the paint to reach ten points and grab the double-double, and notched a steal the other way before driving to the hoop and drawing the foul. Stephens, who leads the team in free-throw percentage, made both to cut into the lead, 30-26. After another Los Angeles basket, Lesa-Hardee drained another triple, on Edwards' fifth assist of the contest, that cut it to three and prompt a Golden Eagle timeout with 4:01 left in the third. The Golden Eagles came out of the break with a 5-1 run, capped off by an Uzowuru and-one, to go up 37-30.
Corder's third basket of the night began the fourth, but once again the visitors countered with another bucket of their own, this time from beyond the arc, to go up eight. Los Angeles continued to roll as they pushed their lead to ten points, with 5:30 left in regulation. Palmer added points down the stretch as SF State battled back, but the Golden Eagles answered to maintain a double-digit cushion and the win to snap their eight-game losing streak.
The Golden Gators continue the home stand this Saturday as they host Cal State Dominguez Hills at 1 p.m. Live stats and a stream will be provided.
