SAN FRANCISCO — Piercing screams echoed. Hands flew up. Injured knees extended.
As San Francisco guard
Amalie Langer turned up court after her first make of the game — a third-quarter 3-pointer in an 87-82 comeback win over Sacramento State — her teammates leaped into the air, but she didn't smile. She didn't even look over at her sideline. "I've always been the one celebrating on the bench," said Langer, one of eight injured Dons this season, and the first to return. "I knew if looked at the bench then, I wouldn't be able to concentrate."
Having not played in 15 months due to multiple injuries, Langer, a redshirt freshman, finally made her collegiate debut on Saturday in San Francisco's fourth straight win. A healthy Langer, added to dynamic transfer
Mikayla Williams (who tallied her fourth double-double of the year with a season-high 29 points), could be just the boost San Francisco (6-4) needs headed into West Coast Conference play.
"I think Mikayla needed to have a good game, and we all know what she's capable of, so it was great that she showed it," Langer said. "For me, I'm just so happy to be back playing."
The former Danish national team member — known for her superior court vision and a high basketball IQ — was supposed to share the point guard load with
Shannon Powell last season as a freshman, but had to nurse an injured left ankle shortly after she arrived on campus. She came back to practice in February, but while making a step on defense during an April workout, she fractured her left tibial plateau.
"My teammates have always told me, 'You'll get your shot, it'll be your turn,'" Langer said.
Langer only played 11 minutes on Saturday, but as her point guard game gets ramped up, she can help settle down a Dons team that came into Saturday ranked 10th in the West Coast Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio, a number that took another hit against the Hornets (1-6), who rank 15th in NCAA Division I by forcing 23.5 turnovers per game.
"This was a tough team to be her first game," said San Francisco head coach
Molly Goodenbour. "There's a lot of chaos out on the court, and she's got the ball in her hands. She came in and did a pretty good job. Hopefully, she built some confidence and she'll be able to help us moving forward."
The short-handed Dons struggled to get their legs against the Hornets' full-court press, turning the ball over 18 times to the tune of 22 points for Sacramento State. The Dons also allowed the Hornets — who shot just 22.7% from 3-point range coming into Saturday — to hit 13 of their 41 shots from long distance, including 8-of-17 in the first half.
"I think it's good to have that pressure on you early," Williams said. "That way, you're prepared for it going into conference, going into the [WCC] Tournament. You've seen it. In the first half, we were playing at their pace, and it threw us a little. Second half, we realized how we had to adjust. We could keep pushing, keep running, but we were more mentally calm."
In the second half, San Francisco's zone slowed the up-tempo Hornets, and the Dons began attacking the press, shrinking a nine-point halftime lead to three with Langer's triple — the first field goal of her college career — with 2:47 to go in the third.
"It was beautiful," Williams said. "Got to get that one out of the way. It was a beautiful shot, and we want her to keep putting those up."
The fourth quarter saw five lead changes and three ties, the first coming courtesy of a
Lucie Hoskova 3-pointer from the left wing with 8:24 to go, knotting the game at 70-70.
"We had to keep it interesting for you guys, headed into the holiday season," said Williams, who went 9 for 17 from the field, 11 for 13 at the free-throw line and pulled down 15 rebounds.
A minute after Hoskova tied things up, Williams hit back-to-back transition layups to give San Francisco its first lead since 3:47 in the first quarter. The fifth 3-pointer of the day by the Hornets' Gabi Bade, though, put the Hornets up 75-74 with six minutes left.
Williams scored 10 points in those final six minutes, including two crucial free throws after she lowered her shoulder and drove into a foul by Hornets forward Kennedy Williams at mid-court.
San Francisco held Sacramento State 0 for 10 to finish the game, and the Hornets went scoreless for the final 2:19.
"This is the fastest game we've played this year, so far," Williams said. "I think it was great. We really tried to get back into it, especially after these eight days off, and I think we've got our legs back under us."
After the Dons forced Bade into a 3-point miss with 23 seconds to go (she went 6 of 14 on the day from beyond the arc), the Sacramento State senior fouled Williams, and she split the pair to seal the win. Langer, on the bench, cheered just as loudly as her teammates. She could finally smile.
Said Goodenbour: "We just wanted her to feel like a basketball player again."
