TEMPE, Ariz. — The No. RV Cal State East Bay women's water polo team split two contests on the first day of this weekend's ASU Invitational at Mona Plummer Aquatics Center, defeating WWPA foe Salem in a non-conference overtime thriller, 12-11, before falling short against No. 9-ranked host Arizona State, 19-10.

With the victory over Salem, Pioneers' head coach Lisa Cooper earned her 299th career win and is one away from 300 career victories. CSUEB (3-2) has a rematch with Salem on Saturday morning, Feb. 12, beginning at 8 a.m. PT, before taking on Ottawa University (AZ) at 11:30 a.m.

CSUEB 12, Salem 11, OT

Senior Briana Ruiz scored the game-winning goal less than one minute into the sudden-death overtime period to lift East Bay to a victory over Salem to begin action Friday morning.  The Riverside native finished the game with a hat trick, with all three goals coming in overtime, and also had two steals.

Junior Adrien Van Dyke finished with a team-high four goals, while junior Maddie Wittkowske added two goals.

With the Pioneers trailing by one late in the fourth quarter, junior Hanna Peercy scored a goal to tie the game 8-8 with 1:33 to go in regulation. Van Dyke followed with a score to put East Bay ahead by one, 9-8, with just 17 seconds remaining.

But Salem's Annefleur Ten Bloemendal responded with the tying goal with just one second remaining, sending the game into overtime.

Ten Bloemendal added another score to put the Tigers back on top, but Ruiz came right back with consecutive scores — one with 1:16 left in the first overtime, another with 34 seconds left — to give East Bay an 11-10 advantage.

Salem (0-6) knotted the score in the second overtime period to make it 11-11, before Ruiz's heroics in the third sudden-death overtime period.

No. 9 Arizona State 19, CSUEB 10

Van Dyke scored a team-high three goals, while freshman Jordan Jarandson, junior Leti Mosqueda and freshman Luna Sarmiento each scored two goals apiece in a road defeat against a top-10 opponent. 

The Pioneers led 2-1 early on, and knotted the score 3-3 on Jarandson's goal with five seconds left in the first quarter. East Bay fell behind by seven at halftime, and got as close as 11-5 in the third quarter after Van Dyke's score with 4:33 to go in the period.