SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.- It has almost been a month since Sonoma State Women's Basketball has suited up for CCAA basketball but coach Abeyta's squad started the new year with a road win over the Gators of San Francisco State! The Seawolves put together a strong start and finish scoring over 20 points in both the first and fourth quarters and five different players scored seven or more points.
Defensively Sonoma did a good job limiting the Gators offense from all areas of the floor. They held their opponents to under 39% shooting from the floor and 33% from deep across the 40 minutes of game action. On top of this, the Seawolves forced 18 turnovers and swiped 11 steals. Sheriene Arikat led the way on the defensive side of the ball with a game high four steals and added a block as well.
Offensively, the team was paced by Jayme Blackard and Sienna Cherwinski. Blackard scored 17 points on a highly efficient 60% shooting display. Blackard's quickness constantly put pressure on the Gators defense as she got to the rim constantly. On top of her 17 points she chipped in three assists, grabbed four boards and swiped three steals.
Arguably the biggest news of the day was the breakout shooting performance by Sienna Cherwinski! Cherwinski was one of the programs top three point shooting options during her freshman season but had been in a shooting slump prior to tonight's game. Cherwinski was sure to start 2025 with a bang as he knocked down four threes en route to 12 points. Cherwinski catching fire from deep will do wonders for the Seawolves' spacing moving forward!
Jennifer Moreno, Paige Pentzer and Arikat all scored seven points with each scoring in a variety of ways. Moreno only attempted a single field goal which she converted but thanks to her physicality at the point of attack she earned six free throws and knocked down five of her attempts. Pentzer earned the start and was 3-5 from the floor and has now shot 50% or better from the floor for two consecutive games. Lastly, Arikat's seven points went nicely with her defensive stats and her game high nine rebounds helped the Seawolves keep second chance opportunities out of the Gators hands.
With 2025 starting off in the win column, Sonoma State Women's Basketball now turns their attention to Cal State East Bay with tip-off set for 5:30 on January 4th!
