SF State women’s basketball won 57-53 in their opener against CSU Stanislaus Friday night in the Main Gym.

The Gators are now 4-1 for the season with a 1-0 conference record in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

“To be 4-1 is great,” head coach Joaquin Wallace said after the win. “They came in 4-0, so to get the win and start off 1-0 is good.”

A 3-pointer from senior Desiree Butler started off the back-and-forth battle of the first half that consisted of eight lead changes and five ties.

The Gators largest lead in the first half (12-7) was capped with a tip-in by junior Donisha Tate.

The Warriors battled back with a 10-4 run that put them ahead 17-16.

But the Gators answered back with a Morgan Aycox jumper to give the Gators a slight 18-17 lead.

The two teams stayed within a point or two of each other with five minutes left in the half until a jumper and free throw by junior ZaLisha Oliver, which gave the Gators a 26-22 lead going into the second half.

Oliver led the team with 11 points while senior Krystle Mays and junior Kalia Williams chipped in 8 points a piece. Mays also pulled down eight rebounds for the night.

The Gators started the second half with a jump shot by junior Jessica Hout-Freeman.

A Warriors’ 3-pointer brought the teams to a 53-53 tie with 2:27 left on the clock, but a Mays’ lay-up and two Butler jumpers gave the Gators their victory.

“Defensively, we did a great job,” Wallace said post-game. The Gators posted 16 steals, 33 turnovers and 34 total rebounds, 19 of those being offensive rebounds.

Wallace said that he still sees areas where the team could use some improvement, particularly on the offensive end. Oliver said earlier in the season that a key to winning would be to “not stoop down to the other team’s level,” and Butler said that one thing the team needed to work on was “executing offense.”

Wallace hoped that the Gators would be strong offensively against number one-ranked Chico State the following night, saying they “need to make shots to win that game.”