SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The RV Cal State San Marcos women’s basketball team (12-3, 9-1 CCAA) recorded its sixth consecutive victory with an 89-75 victory over San Francisco State (3-12, 2-8 CCAA) on Thursday night in The Sports Center.
TOP PERFORMERS
Charity Gallegos – 22 points | 6-of-10 FG | 2 assists | 1 steal
Jordan Vasquez – 18 points | 7-of-10 FG | 9 rebounds | 3 assists
Mina Tameilau – 18 points | 5-of-8 FG | 4 rebounds
Katie FitzGerald – 18 points | 4 rebounds
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite leading for 72.5% of the first quarter, the Cougars trailed 20-17 after the 10 minutes after going 6-of-16 (37.5%) from the field to SF State’s 9-of-12 (75.0%).
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Gallegos put CSUSM back on top at 33-32 and sparked a 10-0 run.
The Cougars took a 42-39 lead into the break despite shooting 42.4% (14-of-33) to the Gators’ 59.3% (16-of-27).
CSUSM outrebounded SF State 20-11 with nine offensive boards in the first half.
SF State took its first lead of the second half on a 3-pointer by Samaria Velazquez to make it 51-48 at the 5:30 mark of the third quarter.
The Cougars held a 61-60 lead following the third quarter after going 7-of-10 (70%) to SF State’s 9-of-17 (52.9%).
CSUSM turned over the ball six times in the third quarter while the Gators only committed one turnover.
CSUSM defense held SF State scoreless in the first four and half minutes of the fourth quarter while the Cougars went 2-of-2 from the field and 7-of-10 at the free throw line.
The Gators shot just 28.6% (4-of-14) in the fourth quarter while the Cougars caught fire with 71.4% (5-of-7).
FAST BREAK
CSUSM shot a 52.0% (26-of-50) from the field while the Gators turned in a 50.0% (29-of-58) field-goal percentage.
From behind the arc, the Cougars tallied their highest field-goal percentage of the season, going 7-of-14 (50.0%) while SF State went 10-of-19 (52.6%).
Vasquez was one rebound shy of her 10th double double of the season, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds.
CSUSM dominated the boards, outrebounding the Gators 36-18 with 10 being on the offensive side.
Thirty-eight of CSUSM’s points came inside the paint while SF State was limited to just 20 points in the paint.
CSUSM tallied 14 points off fast breaks while the Gators finished with just five.
The Cougars led for 55.9% of the game while SF State led for 31.3%.
Eighty-nine points were the most scored by a CSUSM team since the Cougars notched a 95-75 victory over Cal State LA on Nov. 27, 2021.
With the win, CSUSM extended its win streak over the Gators to eight and is now 11-2 in the all-time series.
The first-place Cougars now have a two-game lead over second-place Chico State in the CCAA standings. The Wildcats dropped a 92-68 decision at Cal State LA on Thursday night.
Head Coach Renee Jimenez discusses tonight’s win over SF State in The Sports Center. #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/2GKeO8lI1D
– CSUSM Women’s Basketball (@CSUSM_WBB) January 19, 2024
UP NEXT
CSUSM will close out its short two-game home stint on Saturday when the Cougars host Cal State East Bay at 1 p.m. in The Sports Center.
