SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State women's basketball team got off to a blistering start but a slow start in the fourth quarter doomed the Gators' efforts in a 58-48 loss to Chico State on Thursday night inside the Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza.
- Ashley Hart and Taimane Lesa-Hardee each had 16 points apieice in 36 minutes for the Gators (1-11/1-7 CCAA). Hart also led all players with a career-high nine rebounds.
- Muirae Gomez added eight points. Madison Corder and Giselle Mahinay were the only other two Gators to score, with four points apiece.
- Shay Stark led the Wildcats (10-5/6-4 CCAA) with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting and was one of three Wildcats with six rebounds. Myli Martinez added 10 points in the win.
- The Gators held the Wildcats to just 12.5 percent (3-of-24) shooting from distance, although the Gators were outscored 34-26 in the paint.
The Gators shot 50 percent (8-of-16) and raced out to a 21-13 lead in the first quarter. Defensively, SF State held the Wildcats to 1-of-6 (16.7 percent) three-point shooting. After falling behind 6-4, Hart made a three and Lesa-Hardee followed with a jumper to take the lead.
At one point, SF State went on a 7-0 run and pushed the lead to 10 on a Hart layup with just under a minute and a half to play.
The second half was much closer and the Gators added a point onto their lead, to take a 32-23 advantage at the break. The Gators held the Wildcats to 25 percent (4-of-16) in the quarter but missed opportunities themselves, going just 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) and 1-of-5 (20 percent) from deep.
Lesa-Hardee kept the Gators in front with a pair of three-pointers but Chico State cut into the lead, outscoring SF State 18-11 in the third quarter.
The Wildcats' momentum carried into the fourth quarter as they began the quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 50-43 lead. Hart stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer at the five-minute mark but the Gators never recovered and scored just two points in the final five minutes.
The homestand concludes on Saturday, January 11 at 1 p.m. versus Sonoma State. Both games will be streamed on the CCAA Network and live stats will also be available at sfstategators.com.
