SAN FRANCISCO - In a hard-fought battle, the San Francisco State women's basketball team fell to host University of San Francisco, 105-70 in their lone preseason tuneup.
- The Gators outscored the hosts 24-18 in the third with the help of a 20-9 run to start the second half.
- SF State shot 72 percent (13-18) from the line, which bested the Dons' mark of 68 percent (23-34).
- USF unitized their size to grab 57 rebounds, 35 of which cam eon the defensive side.
- Freshman Jolene Armendariz led SF State with 19 points, 11 of which came in the second half, and had four three-pointers. Ashley Hart had 15 points and dished out three assists, Taimane Lesa-Hardee picked up where she left off a season ago with 11 points and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the line.
- Kelea Pickeral-Dennis bodied her way to a team-high seven rebounds, five of which came on the defensive end.
Pickeral-Dennis' layup started the scoring for the Gators and tied it up, 2-2 in the early going. Armendariz followed with her first triple of the day from the left side for the lead, but the Dons quickly went up three. A 13-3 run, with that three coming from Hart, put the hots up 21-10 before Lesa-Hardee knocked down two from the line. Pickeral-Dennis knocked down another layup to end the scoring in the first quarter.
Armendariz's jumper ended another USF surge to start the second. The Dons continued to dominate the paint with their size to go up 41-18 before Samantha Erisman made a free-throw to end an 8-0 run. Rebekah Brown and Hart were both perfect at the line, but the hosts got a three by Abby Rathbun to end the half.
Three quick baskets by the Gators, with layups by Pickerel-Dennis and Erisman followed by a splash by Hart, started a 20-9 run in the third for SF State. Armendariz added a three-pointer and Hart would knock down another to cut into the Dons lead as we went to the fourth down just 78-54.
USF's Mikayla Williams, who transferred from CCAA-foe UC San Diego, made two from the charity stripe and hit a layup to widen the lead. Muirae Gomez knocked down a jumper from right outside the paint midway through the frame. Hart would make a layup with 26 seconds left as the Gators ended the contest on a 5-2 run.
SF State kicks off the regular season on November 9 in Fairbanks, Alaska as part of the West Region Challenge. Live results and a stream will be provided.
