SAN FRANCISCO — Cal State East Bay opened California Collegiate Athletic Association play with a statement win Thursday night, using a dominant second quarter and timely stops down the stretch to defeat San Francisco State 69-61 at SFFCU Gymnasium at Don Nasser Family Plaza.

The Pioneers (2-5, 1-0 CCAA) overcame an early eight-point deficit in the first quarter, trailing 14-6 with 2:12 left. That's when Nivea Campbell sank two free throws to spark a 10-0 run. Campbell added a layup off a steal, and Aloha Akaka scored twice in transition, including a floating jumper that tied the game at 14-14. Taylor Eldredge capped the surge with a jumper in the paint at the 28-second mark for a brief lead before SF State answered to tie it 16-16 at the end of the first.

The second quarter belonged to East Bay. After Leilani Blecha hit a 3-pointer to put the Gators ahead 19-16, the Pioneers responded with a flurry. Lucca Lowenberg knocked down back-to-back threes, and Akaka drilled another from deep to push East Bay ahead 27-23. That sequence ignited a 14-2 run fueled by defensive pressure and fast-break points. Sierra Morris added a layup off a steal, and Eldredge converted two free throws as the Pioneers built a 41-29 halftime lead. East Bay shot 56.3 percent in the second quarter and scored 12 points in the paint during the frame.

The Pioneers extended their advantage in the third, leading by as many as 18 points when Akaka hit a jumper with 1:19 left for a 55-37 margin. Moments later, Campbell finished a layup off an assist from Akaka to make it 57-39 heading into the fourth.

San Francisco State mounted a late rally in the final period, capitalizing on turnovers to cut the deficit to 60-54 with 4:29 remaining after Athena Brombacher's layup off her own steal. But Akaka answered with a driving layup at 3:27, and Lowenberg buried a clutch 3-pointer less than a minute later to restore a double-digit cushion. The Pioneers sealed the game at the free-throw line, with Meredith Gilbertson hitting two in the final minute to close out the 69-61 victory.

• Akaka matched her career high with 17 points on 8-for-15 shooting and added four assists, two steals and a block.
• Lowenberg scored 11 points, hitting 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, while Morris chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.
• Gilbertson anchored the interior with a game-high 14 rebounds and five points.
• East Bay shot 44.8 percent from the field compared to SF State's 30.6 percent and held a 42-36 edge on the boards.
• The Pioneers also dominated points in the paint (36-26) and scored 26 points off turnovers.

"We started off slow but picked up our play and played our style of basketball in the second quarter to build momentum," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We played solid in the second half but we need to get better at closing out games moving into our next outing and the rest of the season. It was a good team win, but back to work tomorrow as we have to prepare for the same team on Saturday."

Cal State East Bay returns home to face San Francisco State again Saturday at Pioneer Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday's upcoming game is also the first home contest for the Pioneers in 2025-26.