HAYWARD, Calif. — On Saturday evening inside Pioneer Gymnasium, Cal State East Bay delivered a thrilling finish to edge San Francisco State 70-67, securing its second straight win and remaining unbeaten in CCAA play. The Pioneers (3-5, 2-0 CCAA) leaned on clutch free throws from Lucca Lowenberg in the final seconds to fend off a furious Gators rally, capping a game that swung like a pendulum from start to finish.

The opening quarter was a shootout, sparked by Gianna Darte's four 3-pointers for San Francisco State and Lowenburg's hot hand for East Bay. Lowenberg buried two shots from beyond the arc in the first five minutes and added another in the closing seconds to keep the Pioneers within striking distance at 23-19. Her 11 points in the frame were a lifeline as East Bay battled through early turnovers and a Gators surge.

The second quarter told a different story. After falling behind by 11 midway through, the Pioneers roared back with a relentless press and transition attack, forcing a string of turnovers that fueled a 12-0 run. Taylor Eldredge and Nivea Campbell converted fast-break layups, and Lowenberg floated in a jumper to give East Bay its first lead at 35-34. But the Gators answered with a 3-pointer from Leilani Blecha in the final 30 seconds, sending East Bay into halftime trailing 37-35 despite a spirited comeback.

Hailey Estrada wasted no time in the third quarter, delivering a layup to tie the game at 37. From there, the period became a tug-of-war, with Sierra Morris emerging as the catalyst toward the later stages of the frame. Her layup at 2:20 broke a tie, and she added two free throws moments later as East Bay clamped down defensively, holding the Gators without a field goal for the last four minutes to carry a 51-49 lead into the fourth.

Morris stayed in attack mode to open the final quarter, scoring eight straight points to stretch the margin to 55-49. Lailah Carey's shot-clock-beating layup and Estrada's transition finish off a Lowenberg assist pushed the lead to double digits at 66-55 with under four minutes left. But the Gators refused to fold. Athena Brombacher's three-point play ignited a 10-0 run, and Geriah Bradley's short jumper cut the deficit to one at 66-65 with 19.6 seconds remaining.

That set the stage for Lowenberg's heroics. Calm under pressure, she sank two free throws with 10.2 seconds left, then added two more after Bradley's layup trimmed the gap again. San Francisco State had one last look from deep, but the shot missed, and East Bay escaped with a heart-stopping victory.

• Lowenberg finished with a team-high 20 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and a perfect 6-for-6 at the line.
• Morris posted a season-best 14 points, while Eldredge chipped in 11.
• Meredith Gilbertson dominated the glass for the second straight game with 14 rebounds, anchoring a 40-32 edge on the boards for East Bay.
• Estrada and Eldredge each swiped three steals as East Bay overcame 24 turnovers with a season-high 49.1 percent shooting.

Head coach Jenny Thigpin praised her team's resilience: "We started off slow but played through our mistakes and played a solid second quarter which got us back into the game. In the third, we made plays and held off to win the game despite late mistakes which we can improve at as the season moves forward. It's a good way to start conference play with two good wins over a very good San Francisco State team."

Next up, the Pioneers head south for an exhibition matchup at CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield.