SEASIDE — The Stanislaus State women's basketball team got back on the winning track Thursday after a two-week layoff, beating Cal State Monterey Bay, 60-50, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association matchup on the road at the Kelp Bed.
 
The Warriors (11-2, 6-1 CCAA) saw their historic 10-game winning streak finally come to an end on Jan. 4 at Chico State. They then missed each of the next four games over the last two weeks due to COVID-19 protocols. And with only seven players seeing floor time Thursday, Stan State still managed to beat the Otters (1-10, 0-7 CCAA) for the sixth time in a row since 2018.
 
Stanislaus State trailed, 20-16, through the first after CSUMB closed the quarter on a 14-3 run. Five consecutive points from Emily Perez including a 3-pointer, followed by five points from Isabel Lizarraga including another 3-pointer, and closed out by back-to-back layups from Sarah Shaw put the Otters ahead.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay wouldn't score more than 10 points in any of the remaining three quarters, however, as the Stanislaus State defense went to work. The Otters shot 47.1% in the first quarter, but it only went down from there: 33.3% in the second, 28.6% in the third and 23.1% in the fourth. They made three 3-pointers on 42.9% shooting from deep in the first period, then only made three more for the rest of the game, going 3 for 16 (18.8%).
 
The seven Warriors who saw floor time collected 13 total steals – third-most in a game this year. That powered 25 points off of 29 total CSUMB turnovers – 11 more than Stan State committed, and more than double the points the Otters scored off turnovers (12). Liliana Marques scored a game-high 19 points on the back of three treys and eight total baskets. Taylor Pilot scored a career-high 18 and grabbed eight rebounds with four assists and two steals. All seven Warriors who played in the game scored at least three points, and six of them had at least two rebounds.
 
Stanislaus State took the lead for good in the second quarter with an 11-3 run that closed out the first half and erased a five-point deficit. It led, 33-30, at halftime and pushed the lead to as many as 12 in the third quarter.
 
The Warriors will next face San Francisco State at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Fans can find all live coverage links on WarriorAthletics.com.