San Francisco State (1-1): 62
Southern Indiana (1-1): 59
Box Score

ANAHEIM, Calif.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team overcame deficits of eight and nine points, respectively, but a three-pointer by San Francisco State University's Jessica Hout-Freeman with 1:27 to play in the contest staked the Gators to a 57-55 lead they would not relinquish as they handed the Screaming Eagles a 62-59 loss Saturday night in the second round of the Disney Division II West Coast Tip-Off Classic.

After trailing 49-40 with less than seven minutes to play in the game, USI got a bucket by sophomore forward/center Ashton Mertens to complete a 15-5 run and stake the Eagles to a 55-54 advantage with 2:18 remaining on the clock. Hout-Freeman, however, got an uncontested three-point shot nearly a minute later as USI's defense collapsed on SFSU forward Donisha Tate. Tate, who had 16 points and a game-high 20 rebounds, kicked the ball out to Hout-Freeman, who drained the three-pointer, to give the Gators the lead.

USI (1-1), which failed to score on its next possession, got a quick lay-up from junior guard Amie Newhart, who finished with a game-high 17 points and three assists, to cut a three-point deficit to a single digit. The Gators (1-1), however, got two straight free throws from forward Desiree Azlin to reclaim a three-point advantage with 16 seconds remaining in the contest. Azlin later sealed the Gator's victory at the line after corralling a Newhart three-point attempt that missed the mark.

The Eagles struggled offensively and on the glass throughout the contest as they shot 32.7 percent from the field and were outrebounded 43-29. “Defensively, they really did a good job on us,” USI Head Coach Rick Stein said. “We struggled to find any type of rhythm out there. We shot 28 percent in the first half and we are only down one at the break.

“I thought we guarded fairly well,” Stein continued. “We only gave up 62 points, but some of there shots really hurt us. They crashed the glass and we missed some block-out opportunities.”

In addition to Newhart's 17 points, Mertens finished the contest with 14 points and four rebounds. Junior guard Ellen Young added nine points, while senior forward Anaris Sickles finished with five points and a team-high seven rebounds.

The Eagles conclude the Disney Division II West Coast Tip-Off Classic Sunday at 1 p.m. (CST) when they take on Fort Lewis College, which is ranked eighth nationally by the Division II Bulletin. Fort Lewis defeated Western Oregon University, 85-52, Saturday night.