The squeak of Nikes across the court, the loud prolonged cry of the buzzer, and the animated cheers and jeers from the fans in the stands says it all.

Basketball season is here again.

The SF State women’s basketball team’s season didn’t start off too hot losing its first two road exhibition games to Division I teams University of San Francisco (59-69) and St. Mary’s College (75-86).

The Division II Gators held their own against the D-I teams, and SF State head coach Joaquin Wallace said his team played extremely well.

“They’re a good group of girls,” Wallace said of his team. “We learned a lot and we played well.”

SF State lost to USF 69-59 on Wednesday, despite heading into halftime with a 38-24 lead against the Dons.

Sophomore Dominique Hunter and senior Krystle Mays both scored in double digits, but it just wasn’t enough to keep USF from taking the lead 44-42 in the second half as the Dons held on to win.

“We need to learn to put two halves together,” guard Jessica Hout-Freeman said after the loss to the Dons.

On Sunday, the Gators defense bit down hard with 18 steals against Saint Mary’s College. But the Gaels still pulled out the 11-point win with 35 turnovers from SF State.

Sophomore Morgan Aycox put up 16 points, while senior Desiree Butler added 12 points.

Freshman Lauren Payton chipped in 13 points and contributed a lay-up in the second half that cut the Gaels’ lead to 56-53, the tightest score of the game.

“That’s why you play the game,” Wallace said. “To get better.”

The team started practicing six days a week in October. Wtih the teams main preseason focus being conditioning and skill development.

Another big part of preseason practice was integrating the newcomers.

New faces on the Gators’ squad include freshmen Carly Cator, Marlee Rice and Lauren Payton, with transfer students Donisha Tate from Las Positas College and Kalia Williams from D-I San Jose State University.

Tate said “getting together” was a big part of preseason practice because there are many new additions to the team.

Returning from last year’s team are starters Butler, Hout-Freeman, Hunter and Mays.

The coaches are looking to the veteran players to help mold and build team chemistry.

Wallace, in his fourth year of coaching Gator basketball, has the help of three new assistant coaches in Mario Trutani, Jr., Charlene Murphy and Sorden Davis.

All three coaches bring “a lot of development and teaching” which aid in making the team more “fundamentally sound,” Wallace said.

Last season the Gators went 11-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, good for sixth in the conference.

The Gators finished 14-14 overall, going 7-3 at home and 7-9 on the road. A preseason CCAA poll this year has picked the Gators to finish fifth in the 2008-09 season.

The Gators will open the season on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at home against Dominican University.

SF State will then travel for three regional match-ups in Washington, and return home the first week in December to face Cal State Stanislaus in its first CCAA game of the season.