HAYWARD, Calif. – It's not how you start, it's how you finish. A theme Cal State East Bay women's basketball adhered to after quickly erasing another halftime deficit to earn a 67-55 league win over San Francisco State on Saturday night inside Pioneer Gymnasium.

The visiting Gators looked like anything but a winless team on Saturday after leading by as many as seven points during the opening half. Jasmine Flanagan knocked down three 3-pointers with the last in the final seconds to give San Francisco State (0-20, 0-16 CCAA) a 34-31 halftime edge.

"SFSU came out of the gate on fire and we didn't match their intensity throughout the entire first half. We talked about our lack of defense during the break and came out with the necessary energy and effort to go on a substantial run to take the lead," said East Bay Head Coach Suzy Barcomb.
 
Out of halftime the Pioneers scored 11 unanswered points to turn a three point deficit into a 42-34 lead. It was only the beginning of a dominant second half performance as Cal State East Bay outscored the Gators 30-4 over the first 13 minutes out of the break.
 
"We had well-balanced scoring and rebounding again tonight and that is what we will need for the remaining six games in the CCAA. We really shared the ball tonight and made the extra pass for a better look throughout the game," Barcomb added.
 
Shannon Bland had a perfect shooting night going 5-for-5 from the floor and knocked down both free throws to match her season-high of 13 points. Laci Effenberger knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting off the bench. The pair combined to score 24 points in just 27 minutes of floor time, to go along with six assists and three steals.
 
"Our two point guards Shannon and Laci had very solid games tonight. With them playing so well, it takes pressure off Stephanie Lopez," said Barcomb.
 
Lopez has scored in double figures in all 22 games this season finishing with 11 against San Francisco State. She grabbed six rebounds and dished out three of the team's 17 assists in the win.
 
Micah Walker and Bland led the Pioneers with 13 points apiece. Walker added eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 30 minutes of action.
 
"Micah is really stepping up in terms of leadership and her focus these last few games and her performance is a direct reflection of that," praised Barcomb.

Tori Breshers grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and scored nine points. She added two more blocks and is the first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) player to reach 30 in league play this season.
 
SFSU's Brittany Allison led all players with six assists to along with 12 points. Michelle Sutton added 11 points and two blocked shots in the loss. Flanagan scored a game-high 16 points with 14 coming in the first half.
 
The stage is set for Friday's matchup as Cal State East Bay (14-8, 9-7 CCAA) will face Cal State L.A. (9-11, 8-8 CCAA) in arguably its most important game of the season-to-date. The Pioneers overtook the Golden Eagles for sixth in the league standings following Saturday's home loss to Cal State San Bernardino.