SAN FRANCISCO - Tied at 57-57 with 15 seconds left in the game, Ashley Hart make a gritty jumper to put the Gators on top and give San Francisco State women's basketball its first win of 2022 at Main Gym. The Gators were able to overcome a slow start and did not take a lead in the game until the third quarter.
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- Gators improve to 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the CCAA. Cal State Dominguez Hills falls to 4-8 and 2-4 in the CCAA.
- Three Gators scored in double digits: Muirae Gomez (12pts), Alexsandra Alvarado (11pts) and Mya Blake (10pts).
- Jolene Armendariz and Taimane Lesa-Hardee each had four steals. The Gators had 14 steals compared to the Toros' nine.
- The Toros held the advantage on rebounds, grabbing 50 compared to the Gator's 40.
- Auren Isaacson had nine points to lead the Toros.
After falling behind 9-0 to open the game, the Gators call a timeout to regroup. Gomez finally got the Gators on the board at 5:59 in the first quarter with a jumper in the paint. A free throw from Blake made it a two possession game in the final minute of the first quarter. Amaya Snowden's buzzer beater put the Toros up 18-10 at the end of the quarter.
The Toros led by as much as 13 in the second quarter, but the Gators crawled their way back. The Gators took advantage of fouls down the line with Alvarado making all three of her shots to cut the deficit to 33-30.
Samaria Velazquez's layup at 5:50 in the third gave the Gators their first lead of the game. The Gators held the Toros to a season low six points in the quarter and took a 43-39 lead into the final frame.
A nine-point lead was erased when Isaacson made both free throws to tie the game up with 38 seconds left on the clock. With 10 seconds left in the game, the Toros opted to go for a game winning three but the shot fell short and the Gators came up with the win.
"Our team definitely demonstrated a lot of toughness and selflessness. That's what this game comes down to," stated Head Coach Natasha Smith. "I tell them every day that's exactly what our conference is about. The toughest team that stays together that doesn't fold. I think that Jolene and Ashley had their best game of the season so far. Them understanding it's not all about scoring and to get defensive stops and stick to the game plan is a huge thing that will help us excel in each game as we continue to go through the conference."
San Francisco State will be back at home January 15 against Cal State East Bay. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. Due to an increase of COVID cases within the community, SF State has revised its spectator policy. Click here for more information. The game will be broadcast on the CCAA Network with live stats available at sfstategators.com. Updates will also be available on Twitter at @sfstate_wbb.
