HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay women's basketball team opened the 2015-16 season on a high note, defeating Western Oregon 57-42 on Friday evening in the second game of a four-team Conference Challenge tournament at Pioneer Gymnasium.

The Pioneers led wire-to-wire thanks to a stout defensive effort. They forced 20 turnovers and held the Wolves, who are coached by former East Bay assistant Holli Howard-Carpenter, to just 31.7 percent shooting from the field (13-for-41) and 23.1 percent from three-point range (3-for-13). 

After a tight first quarter, East Bay out-scored WOU 14-5 in the second frame to stretch the lead to 26-14 heading into halftime. 

The Wolves' offense bounced back in the third quarter as they out-scored the Pioneers 17-14 and cut their deficit to single digits. But East Bay managed to close out the game in the fourth behind the front-court duo of Tori Breshers and Remy Puou, and they made their free throws down the stretch to secure a 15-point win.

"We played very well on the defensive end of the floor in the first half," said head coach Suzy Barcomb. "We didn't bring that same energy into the third quarter, and I thought Western Oregon did a great job off attacking us and capitalizing on our mistakes."

The Pioneers racked up 14 assists compared to just four for the Wolves, but they didn't have the same success on the boards as WOU held a 30-22 rebounding edge.

"As a team we just didn't go get the glass like I really wanted us to, and that's something we have been doing well in our preseason exhibitions," Barcomb noted.

Breshers started her senior season on the right foot, posting 19 points and six rebounds to lead all players. She was efficient in her scoring, going 6-for-9 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Puou also reached double figures with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting in 22 minutes.

"We wanted to have a good inside presence, and both Tori and Remy gave us that tonight," added Barcomb. "We struggled from the outside, but those nights happen and we need to do a much better job of pushing through fatigue."

Senior Shannon Bland struggled to find a shooting touch in the opener, scoring six points on 1-for-8 from the floor, but she led the team with 37 minutes, six assists, and two steals. Fellow guard Laci Effenberger posted a similar line, scoring six points on a pair of three-pointers with five assists, three boards, and two steals.

Bianca Littleton scored six points in 11 minutes off the bench, and fellow senior Ashleigh Anderson was second on the squad with five rebounds. Newcomer Madison Craig added five points in 36 minutes. 

"It's a game of 'runs' and luckily for us, we made one or two more than Western Oregon," said Barcomb. "We need to be much better as a team on both ends of the floor tomorrow night."

The Pioneers host the final contest of the four-game tournament on Saturday, Nov. 14 against Dominican, with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m.