CHICO, CALIF. - On Saturday November 13th, the Sonoma State women's basketball team competed in their second and final game of the women's CCAA/PacWest Challenge hosted by Chico State. The Seawolves would face off against Fresno Pacific as they looked to bounce back from their previous loss the night before to Dominican University.
What a response SSU would have as they came out on fire in the first quarter scoring 21 points on 47% shooting. More notably, the Seawolves would hit three of four 3-pointers in the first quarter after going 0-10 in their previous game. Sonoma State would finish the opening quarter with a 10-point lead dominating in all categories.
The Seawolves' tenacious defense from previous seasons would show itself in the first half as they held the Sunbirds to just 20 points on 9-24 shooting going into the half. They would hold a 38-20 lead as they began the third quarter with their eyes set on their first regular season win. The third quarter, however, would prove to be the most influential on the outcome of the game as FPU outscored SSU 25-9 in the third to bring the game to within two points. The Seawolves went 0-5 from three point land in the third and shot a game low 30% from the field.
Despite shooting 40% from three in the fourth, the Sunbirds would put up another 25 spot on the Seawolves to seal the game and win late 70-63. Fresno Pacific killed SSU at the free throw line as they went 11-12 from the stripe all in the fourth quarter. They would finish the game 18-24 from the line while the Seawolves finished 9-14. In combination with the lack of free throws, turnovers once again played a role in the teams loss as they finished with 18 on the night. The Sunbirds would convert 19 points off of the Seawolves turnovers in the game to help close out the win.
Some notable bright spots for the Seawolves came from veteran returners
Taylor Johnson and
Shauna Jackson as they both finished with double figures. After making a start for SSU the night before and playing 12 minutes of scoreless basketball, Johnson would respond nicely as she finished with a team high 18 points on 6-12 shooting. She would also knock down all four of her free throws on the night. Jackson recorded 11 points on 5-7 shooting while also knocking down her lone three point attempt. Jackson would also grab four rebounds on the night, all on the offensive glass. Transfer
Amanda Luckett had some solid contributions off the bench as she finished with 9 points and a team high 8 rebounds.
Chasity Spady once again produced off the bench as she scored 8 points on 3-7 shooting. On back-to-back nights the Seawolves bench outscored their opponents, showing their depth and versatility. SSU would finish the night with 26 points off the bench compared to FPU's 13.
Sonoma State will continue their preseason schedule as they travel to division I opponent Sacramento State next Tuesday, November 16th. Head to sonomaseawolves.com to view the Seawolves full 2021-22 schedule. Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. @SonomaSeawolves #NomaNation
