BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Cal State East Bay women's basketball played an exhibition game Tuesday at the Icardo Center, falling to CSU Bakersfield 67-55 after a strong first half that saw the Pioneers lead by as many as eight points.

East Bay surged late in the first quarter with seven unanswered points, capped by Hailey Estrada's layup in the final seconds for a 19-16 lead. The momentum carried into the second quarter with baskets from Aloha Akaka and Lucca Lowenberg to push the advantage to 23-16. The Pioneers held a 32-24 lead in the final minute of the half and went into the break ahead 32-26.

The game shifted in the third quarter. After East Bay led 38-30, a jumper by Marli Langley sparked a 9-0 Roadrunner run to erase the deficit. CSU Bakersfield closed the period ahead 46-44 and opened the fourth with seven straight points to take control. The Pioneers were held without a field goal in the final two minutes as the Roadrunners stretched the margin to as much as 14 late.

Akaka and Taylor Eldredge paced East Bay with 12 points each. Eldredge added eight rebounds and three blocks, while Meredith Gilbertson also grabbed eight boards. Turnovers proved costly as the Pioneers committed 33 compared to 11 for CSU Bakersfield.

"I was pleased with the way we played today although the score does not tell the whole story," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We played hard, defended, competed on the glass but we do need to take care of the ball and limit our live ball turnovers going into our next game."

Cal State East Bay returns to CCAA play Friday at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Torodome in Carson, California.