SEASIDE, Calif. — On Thursday evening at The Kelp Bed, Cal State East Bay fell to Cal State Monterey Bay, 74-63, as a difficult third quarter swung the game in the Otters' favor. Despite a strong start, a late push, and a standout scoring night from Aloha Akaka, the Pioneers could not complete the comeback in a key CCAA matchup with postseason implications.
Monterey Bay opened the first quarter strong, building a 13-5 lead by the four‑minute mark. East Bay responded with composure, chipping away behind back‑to‑back 3-pointers from Lucca Lowenberg to pull within two at 17-15. The Otters closed the period with a layup from Cheyanne Whitfield to take a 19-15 lead into the second.
The Pioneers (9-16, 8-11 CCAA) surged in the second quarter, stringing together a 14-6 run to move ahead 29-25 after a layup by Lailah Carey with 3:12 remaining. The rest of the half featured several lead changes, but East Bay maintained the edge, heading into halftime up 35-33.
The third quarter proved decisive. Akaka scored the Pioneers' only field goal of the period less than two minutes in, and from there the Otters controlled the frame. Monterey Bay outscored East Bay 27-5, capitalizing on defensive pressure and a series of live-ball turnovers that led to transition buckets. The stretch pushed CSUMB's lead to 60-40 entering the fourth.
East Bay fought back with urgency, opening the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run and outscoring Monterey Bay 23-14 in the period. Akaka continued to attack the basket, and the Pioneers generated stops, but the deficit remained too large to overcome. The Otters held on for the 74-63 win.
Akaka matched her season high with 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting, adding five steals and two blocks to lead the defensive effort. Krista Sheaffer joined her in double figures with 10 points, while Meredith Gilbertson pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. The Pioneers narrowly trailed in the rebounding battle, 28-27, and finished at 42.3 percent shooting compared to Monterey Bay's 50.0 percent.
Head coach Jenny Thigpin said the third quarter swung the game. "We put ourselves in position by playing solid basketball in the first half," Thigpin said. "In the third quarter, too many live ball turnovers put us in a hole and led to easy baskets. Now, after this loss, we're in a must-win situation for our final three games to keep our postseason hopes alive."
Cal State East Bay plays its final road of the regular season on Saturday, traveling to San Marcos to face Cal State San Marcos at 1 p.m. at The Sports Center. The Pioneers won the first meeting this season, 74-52, on January 22 in Hayward.
