BOX SCORE San Francisco State 63, Sonoma State 61 -- Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO -- Trailing by 11 points with six and a half minutes to play in regulation, the Sonoma State women's basketball team, fueled by senior Taylor Vigil, rallied to tie the game at 61-61 with 1:33 to play, but San Francisco State's Desiree Collins nailed a mid-range jumper on the ensuing possession and the Gators, despite allowing a go-ahead three-point attempt with 11 seconds left, then a missed layup at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime, held on to defeat the visiting Seawolves, 63-61, on Tuesday night at The Swamp in San Francisco.

Sonoma falls to 0-2 this season, losing both games by a combined five points, and opens up California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play at 0-1.  SF State, meanwhile, improves to 2-1 and 1-0 in the CCAA.

Reminiscent of Saturday's season-opener, the Seawolves weren't going to go down without a fight.  Though they played from behind for the majority of the evening, Sonoma kept SF State in check.  A made free throw by Marie Sweet (1-0), and a pair of three-pointers by Travis Newman (7-6) and Taylor Acosta (15-14) each gave SSU one-point leads through the first part of the opening half, but SFSU would go on a short run, retaking and extending its lead to as much as nine points at 28-19 with 4:10 remaining in the first period.  A jumper by Elizabeth Day, a free throw by Hannah Sourek and two more jumpers from Vigil would allow the Seawolves to chip away at the Gators' lead and go into halftime trailing by five at 31-26.

In the second half, Jamie Capoot opened up with a couple of made shots from the charity stripe to close the gap to three points, but Sonoma State and San Francisco State would remain in a see-saw battle until about the eight-minute mark when the hosts started to pull away.  After a layup by Day that put SSU down five at 51-46, SFSU went on a 6-0 run to take its largest lead of the night, 11 points at 57-46 with 6:48 to play in the contest.

But just like Saturday's season-opener against the University of Mary, the Seawolves wouldn't count themselves out.  Over the next five minutes, Kristina Fahey nailed a jumper and a three-pointer, Day scored a layup in the paint, then Vigil took over with the next eight SSU points to cap a furious 15-4 run, knotting the ballgame at 61 apiece.

On the next Gator possession, Collins hit the go-ahead shot and then both teams would trade missed offensive opportunities down the stretch.  With 21 seconds on the clock, the Seawolves forced a turnover, but Acosta would miss the go-ahead three-pointer with 11 seconds left, allowing SF State to grab the rebound and force Sonoma to foul.  However, the ensuing free throw by Nicole Hicks would rim off and Day grabbed the rebound.  Without a timeout left, the Seawolves were forced to rush down the court, with eight ticks left on the clock.  With one second left, Alysa Ito drove the lane and put up a shot, but it would bang off the rim as time expired, handing the Gators the narrow victory on their home court.

Vigil led Sonoma State with 12 points, while Day and Ito chipped in with eight apiece, Acosta and Adams added six each.  The Seawolves were held to 38.5 percent on 20 of 52 from the floor.

San Francisco State's Michaela Booker scored a game-high 19 points off the bench, followed by 14 points from Nicole Hicks.  Lauren Varney controlled the paint, grabbing 12 boards, including seven off of the offensive glass.  The Gators hit 42.6 percent of their shots, converting 26 of 61 attempts on the night.

Both teams will play again in just four days when SF State travels to Rohnert Park for a rematch with Sonoma in The Wolves' Den.  Saturday's matinee is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.