HAYWARD, Calif. -  With less than 10 seconds remaining in the game, Cal State East Bay women's basketball led 59-58. A block and rebound by Lailah Carey was the first of three defensive stops by the Pioneers in the closing seconds, leading to what became a 60-58 win on Thursday against Cal State Monterey Bay inside Pioneer Gymnasium. 
 

GAME SUMMARY

In the first quarter, neither team had a lead larger than three in a close battle to start. Payton Sterk score nine of the Pioneers' 15 points, though the Otters led 17-15 after the opening quarter. 
 
The back-and-forth pace continued in the second quarter. The Pioneers would gain their largest lead of the quarter at two, at 19-17, on an Abigail Cooper free throw with 9:05 left in the half. The Otters then answered with a 12-5 run, capped by a Ciarah Michalik 3-pointer with 3:44 left in the half, to take their largest lead of the half at 29-24. The Pioneers finished the half on a 9-4 spurt, capped by a jumper from Carey jumper, to tie the game at 33-33 at halftime. Initially, the half ended with CSUMB ahead 36-33, but an official review overturned a 3-pointer at the 2:31 mark of the quarter as replay provided evidence of a shot clock violation. 
 
The Pioneers led by as much as of the quarter at six points in the third quarter, at 50-44, on a 3-pointer by Sterk with 1:09 left in the quarter as the third quarter ended in that score. 
 
In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers would gain their largest lead of the ballgame at eight, at 54-46, on a jumper by Sterk with 7:48 left. The Otters responded with a 12-3 run, capped by a Sarah Shaw jumper with 2:32 left, to take the lead at 58-57. On the ensuring possession, the Pioneers took the lead on a jumper by Sterk at the 2:14 mark for a 59-58 lead. In the final two minutes of the game, Cal State East Bay forced two turnovers, then made another defensive stop on Carey's block with six seconds remaining. After Carey's rebound, Kayla Rosemon drew a foul and made one free throw for a 60-58 lead with four seconds left. The Otters missed two shots in the closing seconds, as the Pioneers finished with a 60-58 win on Thursday. 
 

NOTABLE STATS

• Sterk scored a game-high 26 points for the Pioneers, going 8-for-13 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. She was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. 
• Scoring 10 points each for the Pioneers were Carey and Rosemon. 
• With 10 rebounds, Rosemon reached a double double for the third time this season. 
• Sterk and Jaela RIchardson had three steals each and Taylor Linzie had a pair of blocks and a steal. 
• Defensively, Jaela Richardson had three steals and three blocks.
• Deyliana Lewis led the Otters in scoring with 15 points. 
• The Pioneers shot 43.2 percent from the field and the Otters shot 32.2 percent in field goals. 
• CSUMB had a 37-31 rebounding edge in the game. 

POSTGAME QUOTE

Cal State East Bay head coach Jenny Thigpin following Thursday's CCAA victory: 
"It was a good start to the weekend as we picked up a close win. We played great defense and got key stops when we needed to down the stretch."
 

RECORDS

Cal State East Bay: 8-10, 6-6 CCAA
Cal State Monterey Bay: 3-14, 1-11 CCAA
 

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

This coming Saturday, the Pioneers host Stanislaus State. Tipoff from Pioneer Gymnasium is set for 5:30 p.m. To open conference play on November 30, the Warriors defeated CSUEB, 69-46.