Despite winning one game on the road over the weekend, SF State’s women’s basketball team suffered a tough loss Feb. 6 against CSU Monterey Bay at home.

Tuesday night’s 85-73 loss to was the latest edition in a recent pattern of playing well in the first half and then playing poorly in the second half.

The Gators had their highest first-half point total of the year, scoring 46 points against the Otters, but were only able to score 27 points in the second half.

Junior forward Brio Rode led the Gators with 19 points and sophomore forward Krystle Mays finished with 17 points.

“A win would be big,” Mays said. “We need a signature win to boost our confidence.”

Mays said the Gators lost Tuesday’s game on the defensive end down the stretch with mental lapses due to recent tough losses weighing on the players’ minds.

Although the Gators didn’t shoot well in the second half, they led 67-62 with nine minutes and 24 seconds in the game, but they only scored six points the rest of the game.

“We gave them the momentum to stay in the game,” said Joaquin Wallace, SF State’s women’s basketball coach. “How you start a half and how you finish a half is critical.”

Dana Andrews, sophomore guard/forward, made three free throws at the end of the first half after getting fouled on a three-point shot, which resulted in a 46-41 halftime lead.

The Gators had the Otters in foul trouble the whole game, but the Gators went 12 for 20 from the free-throw line in the second half, after going 14 for 15 in the first half.

The turning point of the game came with two minutes and 30 seconds left in the game when Mays, the Gators’ emotional leader, was ejected from the game. When Mays left the game, the Gators were only down four points, 75-71, but they were outscored 10-2 the rest of the way.

“Teams are playing their ‘A’ game,” said Wallace. “Coaches are preparing their team to play against a team that is capable of winning. Last year, teams didn’t take us seriously until the second half. This year teams are coming in with respect that SF State can very well win the game.”

Wallace said the team is competing with six first-year players. The Gators rotation inludes five freshmen and junior Brio Rode, who is also playing in her first year of NCAA Division II competition.

“We’re going through a specific route with a specific purpose that is getting talented freshmen to build a solid foundation for the future,” Wallace said. “Any good team building from the ground floor up is going to have growing pains.”

Freshman forward Shonetta Crain-Williams said the team is practicing, having team meetings and having team bonding, but they’re just not getting the job done.

“The freshmen have to step up, that’s basically what the team consists of,” Crain-Williams said.

After the game, the players didn’t look like they were taking the loss lightly.

“They hate losing” Wallace said.

The Gators went on the road this past weekend playing Cal State San Bernardino on Friday and Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday and didn't follow the recent good half/bad half pattern.

"On the road it's us against them," Wallace said. "It's easier for them to focus on the task at hand, which is basketball."

The Gators outscored CSU San Bernardino 21-13 in the second half, but couldn't pull off the upset losing 43-41. Krystle Mays led the Gators scoring 10 points and also grabbed seven rebounds and two steals.

The Gators defeated Cal Poly Pomona 69-74, sweeping the regular season series, and outscored the Broncos 41-33 in the second half. Freshman guard Ashlee Austin-Bean led five Gators in double-figures with 22 points.

The Gators take the court again on Thursday at home against Sonoma State.