HAYWARD, Calif. - Cal State East Bay women's basketball played in the final game of the 2023 Pioneers Conference Challenge on Saturday at Pioneer Gymnasium. After trailing by 21 points at halftime, the Pioneers stormed back for a 69-62 over win Northwest Nazarene.
The Nighthawks led 20-9 after the first quarter capped by a layup by Madeline Gebers in the final minute of the quarter.
The lead for NNU only expanded in the second quarter, leading 44-23 at halftime.
The Pioneers would start the third quarter on a 23-2 run, capped by a pair of
Abigail Cooper free throws to tie the game at 46-46 with 36 seconds left in the quarter. However, the Nighthawks scored a basket with 14 seconds left and led 48-46 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Nighthawks would expand their lead to seven, at 56-49, on a Gebers layup with 7:18 left. The Pioneers would then go on an 11-2 run capped by a
Kayla Rosemon layup to take the lead at 60-58 with 4:55 left. The Pioneers built the lead down the stretch, expanding it to finish with a 69-62 victory on Saturday.
- Payton Sterk scored a game-high 27 points for the Pioneers, with a pair of free throws and going 9-for-19 from the floor, including 7-for-16 from beyond the arc. With her seven 3-pointers, Sterk tied the program record for 3-pointers in a game for the second time in her career.
- Taylor Linzie scored a career-high 16 points and had a team-high six rebounds.
- Defensively, Jaela Richardson had three steals and three blocks.
Cal State East Bay head coach
Jenny Thigpin following Saturday's comeback victory:
"Huge comeback from behind. Our focus at halftime was one possession at a time and the girls executed and found the hot hands in Payton Sterk. Each player individually played a part in our comeback. So proud of how we stuck together and got defensive stops down the stretch."
Cal State East Bay: 1-1
Northwest Nazarene: 0-2
|
|
UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY |
The Pioneers will head to Turlock next weekend to take part in the Warrior Classic. The next game for the Pioneers will be Friday as they take on Simon Fraser University at 5 p.m. from Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena on the campus of Stanislaus State.
