SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco State women's basketball team fought hard but fell to the No. 2 UC San Diego Tritons on Saturday, 77-55.
Pregame the Gators honored graduating seniors Amani Alexander, Toni Edwards, Danielle Palmer and Jhaina Stephens, who were playing in their final regular season game at The Swamp. The quartet accounted for 38 of the team's 55 points on Saturday as they capped off their time on their home court.
- Stephens got her ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Edwards also dropped 12 and added six boards and three assists as she climbs her way up the top-ten in Gator history.
- Taimane Lesa-Hardee scored 11 while Palmer added ten and nine rebounds.
- SF State (9-16/8-12 CCAA) out-shot the Tritons 35 percent to 34 percent, but UC San Diego (24-0/20-0 CCAA) went 75 percent (18-24) from the line and 38 percent (9-24) from deep to seal the victory. The visitors also had 22 points off turnovers.
Alexander got the steal and dished to Stephens, who was streaking down the court and finished for two in the first minute. Jumpers by Edwards and Stephens put the Gators up 6-4, and SF State then rolled to a 10-4 lead after an Edwards defensive board and layup to prompt a Triton timeout following a 6-0 run. The SF State defense was stout in the early going, holding the Tritons to just three field goals in the first five minutes. Lesa-Hardee dropped in a jumper off the bench from just outside the paint to widen the lead. However San Diego bounced back to cut it to one, 12-11, after two free throws by Haleigh Hatfield. Alexander made it a three-point lead with a jumper at the shot clock buzzer and Isabella Lamonea followed with a bucket with just under three left. The Tritons tied it up at 16-all after a Sydney Sharp transition layup and took a two-point lead on another Sharp basket. Palmer tied it up yet again on a nice move in the post in the closing minute, but the visitors got a triple from Brianna Claros to take a 21-18 lead after one. SF State held the Tritons to just 42 percent (8-19) in that first quarter.
Down 24-19 to start the second, Stephens made a jumper at the top of the key to cut it to three. Two more Hatfield free throws pushed the Triton lead to 27-21 and Kayla Sato added a three for a nine-point advantage. Three more from the charity stripe put San Diego up 33-23 with 4:14 left in the half, and an 8-0 run widened the lead to 15. Offensively the Gators were scoreless for over three minutes towards the end of the frame until Stephens made a free throw to make it 42-24. Lesa-Hardee hit one from deep of a nice pass from Edwards, and Edwards worked her way to the line for two as SF State battled back at the end, with SF State heading into the break down 42-29.
Palmer began the second half with a basket and Lesa-Hardee dropped in another three, but San Diego's Sato answered with a triple of her own as they now led 50-34. A 10-0 run put the Tritons up 57-34 with 3:30 left. With 2:22 left, Edwards drove to the rack for two and drew the and-one, cutting it to 21. Edwards drained a deep three at the buzzer to narrow the deficit to 59-41 after three.
Palmer's two free throws started the second as it was now 61-43. Claros' two from the line widened the Triton advantage to 68-44, and the run continued as they went up 72-44 midway through the fourth. Lamonea nailed a three as the shot clock expired, Madison Corder added one from the line, and Palmer scored two. With 3:02 left Lesa-Hardee hit the off-balanced bucket to draw the and-one and made it cut to cut it to 19. Alexander's two free throws capped off the scoring.
SF State wraps up the regular season at Chico State on Thursday, February 28 at 5:30 p.m. and at Humboldt State on March 2. Live stats and a stream will be provided.
