TURLOCK — A wild finish after a slow start highlighted the Stanislaus State women's basketball team's first game in more than 20 months Friday, as a potential game-winning shot banged off the rim, allowing Central Washington to escape Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena with a 67-66 non-conference win in the first game of the CCAA-GNAC Crossover Tournament.
 
Central Washington's (1-0) Samantha Bowman – who had dominated most of the night with a 20-point, 20-rebound performance – went to the free-throw line with 17 seconds left to try and expand her team's lead, but missed back-to-back free throws, giving Stanislaus State (0-1) a shot to win the game trailing 67-66.
 
Stanislaus State didn't call a timeout, instead letting the clock run after Kaleigh Taylor rebounded the second missed free throw. Kyanna Davis brought the ball up the court, then twice looked for a screen from Taylor at the top of the arc. She got it on the second pass and dribbled right, pulling up for a jumper just inside the key. Her shot bounced on the right side of the rim and came off, where Bowman was positioned to grab her 23rd rebound of the game and seal the victory for CWU.
 
The Warriors had trailed by six points with less than two minutes to play at 67-61. Then Taylor Pilot took control and scored five points – a coast-to-coast layup and a nothing-but-net 3-pointer – in a 55-second window to pull the Warriors within one with 47 seconds to go.
 
Central Washington went 1 for 5 from the field with three turnovers and two fouls in the final five minutes of the game, allowing the Warriors to sneak back into it. They continued to dominate the boards, however – something they did all game. The Wildcats outrebounded Stanislaus State 7-3 in the final five minutes alone, and that was on top of outrebounding them 54-31 in the game, including 38-20 on the offensive glass.
 
Stanislaus State's late push came after it had started the game on 0-for-10 shooting. The Warriors didn't make their first field goal until the 2:49 mark of the first quarter. Central Washington led by as much as 12 in the first, but Stan State came back with a 19-5 run that spanned the first and second periods to take a 28-26 lead. They would go on another 14-5 run that carried over from the first to the second half, where the Warriors took a 48-44 lead midway through the third stanza.
 
Friday served as both teams' season openers, and was game two of the tournament featuring teams from the California Collegiate Athletic Association and Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Cal State East Bay and Northwest Nazarene University faced off in Friday's tournament opener, with Cal State East Bay winning, 60-54. Friday was the first time Stanislaus State played an official contest in 616 days (since March 6, 2020).
 
The Warriors got a big effort from Davis, who tied Bowman for the game lead with 23 points. She also had seven rebounds, two steals and made three 3-pointers. Pilot and Taylor both had well-rounded performances. Pilot scored 12 points with six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Taylor poured in 14 points to go with six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
 
Bowman scored 23 points and had a career-high 23 rebounds. It was the most rebounds by a Central Washington player in at least the past nine seasons (since 2013-14). She was 11 for 14 from the floor and also had two blocks on the night. Kassidy Malcolm added 15 points and nine rebounds for CWU.
 
The Warriors and Wildcats both play Saturday afternoon in the final day of the season-opening CCAA-GNAC Crossover Tournament. Central Washington will face Cal State East Bay at 1 p.m., and Stanislaus State will face Northwest Nazarene at 3 p.m. Fans can find all live coverage links on WarriorAthletics.com.
 
CAL STATE EAST BAY 60, NORTHWEST NAZARENE 54
Junior guard Delia Moore scored a career-high 24 points with five rebounds to lead the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team to a season-opening victory over Northwest Nazarene, 60-54.
 
The Pioneers trailed by 13 at halftime, but dominated the fourth quarter. East Bay outscored Northwest Nazarene 22-7 in the final period, led by key plays late by sophomore guard Zhane Duckett and senior guard Madison Schiller.
 
Moore shot 7-of-15 from the field and made a career-best four 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Mina Tameliau scored eight points and senior forward Sylvia Vazatarian finished with seven points.