HAYWARD, Calif.-- Cal State East Bay has recorded wins this year that looked much prettier than Tuesday's 61-55 victory over Cal Poly Pomona at Pioneer Gymnasium, but the team nonetheless came away with its sixth straight victory..

The win improves the Pioneers' record to 3-0 in the CCAA and 8-2 overall, marking the first time in program history they have gotten off to a 3-0 start in CCAA play. The Broncos drop to 2-2 in the conference and 4-6 overall.

"We were lucky to survive and win the game tonight. Cal Poly outplayed us in every single aspect of the game," said Cal State East Bay Head Coach Suzy Barcomb. "We won ugly and sometimes a team will need to do that in league."

The Pioneers were having trouble scoring in the first quarter, but managed to grab the lead with two seconds left in opening quarter on a layup by senior Laci Effenberger. The Pioneers would score the first 12 points of the second quarter to lead 25-12 with 6:16 remaining and go to the half up 35-27.

Cal State East Bay had a nice 49-38 lead heading into the final quarter, but would see the Broncos go on an 11-0 run that left them down just 57-55 with 22 seconds remaining to the final horn. Fortunately, the Pioneers would hit their final four free throws to secure the victory.

The four-straight free throws were a part of an 84.6% (11-13) night from the line and that included 6-6 during the second half.

"We shot the ball well from the free throw line and I think that saved us from having a loss tonight," said Barcomb.

Senior Tori Breshers led the Pioneers in points with 16 on 6-13 shooting in 33 minutes. She currently stands in second place in the conference with 17.2 a game.  Breshers also grabbed six rebounds and had five blocks and two steals. The five blocks were the most by a Pioneer this season.

Senior Shannon Bland had 15 points on 4-9 shooting, including 6-6 from the charity-stripe. Bland also contributed six rebounds and four assists. Bland currently stands tied for third in the CCAA with 4.1 assists per game.

Senior Madison Craig led the Pioneers in rebounds with seven. She also had eight points and three assists.

Effenberger had eight points and a team-high four steals. Her 2.2 steals per game places her second in the CCAA. Senior Ashleigh Anderson contributed eight points, six rebounds, and three assists.

The Pioneers shot 44.9 percent (22-for-49) from the field, to the Broncos 41.1 percent (23-for-56). However, the home team committed 20 turnovers, leading to 27 points for CPP.

The category where the Pioneers gained a big advantage Tuesday was on three pointers. They hit 6-of-18 (33 percent), compared to 1-for-10 (10 percent) for the Broncos.

Cal State East Bay now has three days of practice before their next CCAA contest at Pioneer Gymnasium against Stanislaus State this Saturday.

"As a team, we need to own how we played and get back to work and make all the adjustments necessary to become a better team," said Barcomb.

Tip-off is set for 5:30 P.M. against the Warriors.