SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Sophomore guard Rubi Gray finished with her ninth-straight double-digit scoring performance while senior guard Benthe Versteeg and junior forward Keanna Salave'a added 11 points apiece, but a late second-half rally came up just short in the closing minutes of regulation, falling to San Francisco, 61-55, on Wednesday night at the Chase Center.
The Hornets had their record evened at 6-6, while the Dons moved to 7-4 with the victory.
Gray finished with a team-high 14 points to lead the way, adding a pair of rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot. Salave'a posted her second-straight double-digit scoring game — and her fourth of the year — with 11 points on 5-of-10 from the field and grabbing eight rebounds in 19 minutes.
Versteeg narrowly missed out on a double-double, adding nine rebounds and five assists while playing all but a minute. She was one of three Sacramento State players with at least eight rebounds on the night, joining Salave'a's eight and eight more by Elizabeth Abiara.
Helped along by those efforts, the Hornets out-rebounded USF, 42-36, for the game.
Sacramento State trailed by as many as 19 points midway through the third quarter, but did not quit, closing the period on an 11-3 run to reel the Dons back to within 11 points heading into the final 10 minutes. The Hornets extended that run to 17-3 with the first six points of the fourth quarter while the defense was busy locking down USF at the other end, holding San Francisco to without a point for nearly seven minutes.
During that stretch, the Dons were 0-for-11 from the field and were turned over four times.
A driving lay-up by Versteeg made it 50-45 with 3:22 to play before USF was able to get on the board for the first time and the two teams traded baskets the rest of the way. Sacramento State clawed to within four points at 59-55 on a Salave'a basket with 19 seconds remaining, but the Hornets could get no closer.
Sacramento State, which shot at a 53 percent clip in the second half, hit for 37 percent overall for the game while holding the Dons to just 36 percent — including just under 30 percent in the second half. The difference, however, was USF's ability to take advantage of Hornet miscues on the night to the tune of 22 points off turnovers.
Sacramento State closes out non-conference play on Sunday (Dec. 21) at 2 p.m., making a return trip to the Bay Area to take on San Jose State. The Hornets then open Big Sky Conference at home on New Year's Day at 6:30 pm, hosting Idaho State.
