Box Score
FULLERTON, Calif. – Despite a six-point lead with 2:20 to play, the San Francisco women's basketball team lost a heartbreaker to Cal State Fullerton, 60-55, at Titan Gym on Saturday afternoon.
The Dons (2-1) were led by a pair of sophomores in the loss.
Aundrea Gordon's 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and eight rebounds led the way as she was supported by
Taj Winston's 10 points and seven rebounds. Cal State Fullerton (2-1) was paced by a 19-point outing by Chante Miles, that included a 10-of-11 performance from the line.
The first half was punctuated by a pair of identifying runs. The first – for the Dons – was after USF found itself in an early 5-0 deficit three minutes into the contest. A block by freshman
Taylor Proctor spurred the Dons to embark on an 18-2 run to grab a double-digit advantage over the Titans. The Dons led by as many as 11 points in the first half.
Cal State Fullerton, however, finished the half on a 9-0 run over the final three minutes of the period. USF's advantage was 27-24 after the first period after the Titans hit all five of its free throw attempts in the final 180 seconds of the period. The run was capped by a three-point play after Titans sophomore Tailer Butler got a steal in the backcourt and dished the ball to Alex Thomas in the lane. Thomas made her shot and the ensuing free throw attempt with 11 seconds remaining in the half to narrow the margin to three points.
The home team scrapped to the lead in the second after a layup by Miles gave the Titans a 32-31 advantage and its first lead since the score was 5-4. The Titans grew its lead to six points after Mya Olivier swished a three, but the Dons battled back with a momentum shift spurred by voracious, swarming defense and made buckets by Zhane Dikes and Khlok. USF held a 52-47 lead with 4:47 to play, but the Titans would capitalize on late turnovers and whistles to start a win streak of its own.
Similar to the first half, the game ended on much of the same note, with the home team gaining the upper hand late in the period. A 9-0 Titans run gave Cal State Fullerton a 58-55 lead with 18.8 seconds to play. A Khlok three-point attempt was stuffed out of bounds by Thomas with two seconds remaining. A pair of free throws by Thomas iced the game and dashed USF's hopes of starting 3-0 for the first time since 1983-84.
USF looks to regroup from its first loss of the season as the team returns home to the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym to square off with Fordham on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
