POMONA, Calif. - In the closing seconds of a CCAA game on Saturday afternoon, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team took an 82-80 lead over Cal Poly Pomona after a driving layup by Camryn Washington. Although the Broncos had one more opportunity to score, the Pioneers prevailed with a thrilling 82-80 win at Kellogg Arena. 
 

GAME SUMMARY

For the first eight minutes of the game, both CSUEB and the Broncos traded points until Pioneers took an 18-15 on a Lailah Carey 3-pointer with 1:24 left in the first quarter. By the end of the quarter, the Pioneers led 22-17. 
 
In the second quarter, the Broncos started on a 10-2 run, capped by a Mydrea Moore layup with 6:28 left in the half, to take the lead at 27-24 and ultimately led 36-30 at halftime.
 
In the third quarter, the Broncos would start the quarter on a 22-12 run, capped by a Dalayja Hurt-Floyd layup, to lead 58-42, with 1:36 left in the quarter as they finished the quarter ahead 60-48. 
 
The Broncos led by as much as 14 points in the final quarter with 7:12 left. From that point, the Pioneers answered with a 22-8 run, capped by a Washington 3-pointer from the far right corner with 58 seconds left, to take a 76-75 lead. After Sydney Nelson hit a pair of free throws to give the Broncos the lead at 77-76, Payton Sterk hit a layup with 35 seconds left to give the Pioneers the lead at 78-77. Sterk made two more free throws with 24 seconds left to expand the lead to 80-77. On the ensuing possession, the Broncos tied the game on a Breanne Ha 3-pointer with 12 seconds left. Tied at 80-80, on the next possession, Washington drove to the basket to lay the ball up and in with 5.3 seconds left to give the Pioneers the lead. The Broncos had one more opportunity to score but the Pioneers finished with the 82-80 comeback win. 
 

NOTABLE STATS

• Payton Sterk scored a career-high 36 points, going 10-for-17 from the floor and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. From beyond the arc, Sterk went 7-for-12 as she tied a Pioneer record for 3-pointers in a game, including her own record achieved twice before Saturday. Sterk's 36 points was the most by a single player for the Pioneers since joining the modern CCAA in 2009. The previous record of 35 points was held by Stephanie Lopez during the 2014-15 season.  
• Also scoring in double-figures was Kayla Rosemon with 13 points, Washington with 12 and Carey with a season-high 11 points. 
• With six rebounds each were Sterk and Josias Mickens
• Defensively, Mickens and Abigail Cooper had three steals each. 
• The Pioneers shot 50 percent from the floor while the Broncos shot 39.2 percent in field goals.
• Cal Poly Pomona outrebounded Cal State East Bay 39-35 on. Saturday.

POSTGAME QUOTE

Cal State East Bay head coach Jenny Thigpin following Saturday's CCAA victory: 
"I am proud of the way we played, especially in the second half. We trusted the system and got back into the game possession by possession. We found a way to dig in and get the win and overall it was a great team effort. 
 

RECORDS

Cal State East Bay: 4-5, 2-2 CCAA
Cal Poly Pomona: 5-3, 2-2 CCAA
 

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

The Pioneers return to action next Saturday when they host a non-conference game against No. 13 Western Washington. Tipoff from Pioneer Gymnasium is set for 1 p.m. Next Saturday's matchup between CSUEB and the Vikings will be the first since the 2021-22 NCAA Division II West Regional Final.