HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay women's basketball team dropped its second straight game to open California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play on Thursday evening as Cal State Dominguez Hills held off the Pioneers in a tight contest by a final score of 73-65.

CSUEB struggled at the outset as the visiting Toros grabbed an early advantage. The Pioneers trailed 22-9 at one point, but quickly made some adjustments and closed the first quarter on a 6-0 run. 

East Bay's defense turned in a strong effort the rest of the contest, with the Pioneers slowly chipping away at their deficit. They trailed by just five at halftime, then the teams spent nearly the entire second half separated by one or two possessions.

Savannah McGill scored 10 of her 13 points in the final two quarters, and finished tied for the team lead in scoring with fellow senior Elayshia Woolridge, who scored eight of her 13 after halftime. Despite this, East Bay never held a lead the entire evening. It seemed that every time they scored to get within range of tying the game or taking the lead, the Toros answered with a big bucket of their own.

With just over six minutes remaining, Faith Turner scored in the paint to make the score 55-53 in favor of CSUDH. But the visitors responded with two quick layups to grab momentum back. After a Pioneer turnover, Lea Anderson knocked down a three to put the Toros up 10 -- a deficit East Bay wasn't able to erase over the final few minutes.

McGill went 5-for-10 from the field for the night and finished with a team-high nine rebounds. Turner and junior Jojuan Carrington each added nine points in the frontcourt for the Pioneers. Carrington also pulled in five rebounds and tallied three steals. 

Junior Regina Sankey scored eight points on 3-for-4 shooting in just 13 minutes off the bench, while freshman guard Delia Moore contributed six points and six boards in 15 minutes.

The Pioneers return to the court Saturday afternoon to continue their homestand with another tough CCAA contest. They will look to get into the win column when they host Cal State LA, with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m.