SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Cal State East Bay dominated near the basket in Friday night's 69-51 conference road win over San Francisco State. The Pioneers extended their season winning streak to five and overall streak over the Gators to seven with the victory.

"Remy Puou and Tori Breshers did a good job for us in the paint. We hit the glass hard as a team tonight and that was one of our goals," praised East Bay Head Coach Suzy Barcomb.

The Pioneers outrebounded the Gators 48-25 overall and outscored the host side 44-20 in the paint. Breshers and Puou combined for 31 points and 19 rebounds to lead the charge.

Cal State East Bay controlled the game when it did not commit one of its 12 turnovers in the opening half. The miscues allowed San Francisco State (0-9, 0-5 CCAA) to stay within striking distance at halftime trailing 33-24.

In addition East Bay starting point guard Shannon Bland was forced to exit the game just before halftime with a facial injury. The Pioneers would turn to their reserves to take over Bland's role in the second half.

"When Shannon went out, I knew I needed to step up. I focused on playing defense and controlling the tempo of the game," said senior guard Sharissa Estremera. "(S.F. State) is an up-tempo team and we want to settle things down."

Estremera finished with career-highs of 11 points and seven boards in the win. On the team's opening second half possession she knocked down a 3-pointer that gave the Pioneers a double-digit lead they would extend to as many as 25 points.

"All things considered we showed our rust, but played well at times. Sharissa did a great job stepping in for Shannon. It's vital we can ask bench players to step into starting roles when needed," Barcomb complimented of her senior guard.

Stephanie Lopez became a facilitator and filled the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. She has scored at least 12 points in all 11 games this season and leads all California Collegiate Athletic Association players with 13 steals in five league contests.

"Stephanie is a key player and when she's not in the game things sort of get off (rhythm). When she's not on the floor we need to step up," added Estremera on the value of Lopez's contributions.
 
S.F. State's Michelle Sutton led her team with 15 points, three steals, and five rebounds. Savannah Camp and Jayzyl Tauala came off the bench to finish with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Cal State East Bay (9-2, 4-1 CCAA) moves into a 3-way tie for second place in the league standings with Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal Poly Pomona. The Pioneers will remain on the road to face Sonoma State (5-4, 3-2 CCAA) on Saturday, Jan. 3.