SF State’s women’s basketball will travel to Fresno today, Thursday, Nov. 15, in hopes of getting their first win of the regular season against the Fresno Pacific University Sunbirds.
Despite the tough losses to Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage, Gators head coach Natasha Smith was pleased with the performance of her young team.
“Our players are still figuring out what it’s like to be a college basketball player,” Smith said.
Fresno Pacific comes into the game 1-1 on the season. The Sunbirds suffered a heart-breaking 66-65 loss to Western Washington on Nov. 10 when Vikings forward Ana Schwecke made a game-winning layup for the Vikings with three seconds left.
Sophomore guard Jessica Malazarte is the leading scorer for the Sunbirds. Malazarte dropped 32 points on Seattle Pacific, which included seven three-pointers. The Carson, California native struggled against Western Washington with 13 points on 23 percent shooting.
Senior forward Jhaina Stephens enters the game leading the Gators in both rebounds per game (6.5) and points per game (10.5).
This is the third year in a row these non-conference teams have matched up. The Sunbirds have won the first two games by double digits. The game will take place at the Special Events Center in Fresno at 6 p.m.
