BOX SCORE

SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team took care of business Saturday night in its game and got some favorable results around the league to gain some separation for sole possession of second place as the CCAA race enters it final fortnight.

CSUMB (16-5, 13-3 CCAA) defeated San Francisco State 76–57 in The Kelp Bed, which was expected. But its closest pursuer, Cal State L.A., lost at Humboldt State and No. 22 Cal Poly Pomona suffered a massive 53-51 upset at Cal State East Bay to leave the Otters 1 1/2 games clear in second place.

The Otters can now clinch a top four seed and a first round home game by defeating Cal State East Bay Tuesday night in The Kelp Bed. The Otters defeated the Pioneers 68-56 in Hayward on Dec. 30.
“This was a huge weekend for us, getting a sweep over two tough CCAA teams and putting ourselves in the position to clinch a home playoff game,” says CSUMB Head Coach Renee Jimenez. “We are finally starting play consistently on both ends of the floor and we got some better flow in our offense tonight. If we can build on these two games, we are going to play deep into March.”

Junior center Brittani Jefferson (Palmdale/Quartz Hill HS) came off the bench to lead all scorers with 18 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 night shooting from the field. Shonetta Crain-Williams (Oakland/El Cerrito HS) added 12 points while Stefanie Corgel (Manhattan Beach/UCSB) and Jessica Fontenette (Chino Hills/Bishop Amat) each passed for three assists.

It took the Otters the better part of the first half to shake SFSU, and when they did, they shook the Gators in a big way. Six different players scored in an 18-1 CSUMB run that turned an 18-18 tie into a 36-19 CSUMB lead. SFSU cut its deficit to 38-29 by halftime, but it marked the last time the Otter lead would drop below double digits.