SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino women's basketball team punched its ticket to the CCAA Tournament Thursday evening as the Coyotes defeated Cal State East Bay 78-67 Thursday evening at Coussoulis Arena.

With the win, CSUSB improves to 13-11 overall on the season and 12-7 in CCAA play. The Yotes have now won four straight and 10 of their last 11 games.

The first quarter was all Coyotes, as the hosts outscored the visitors 19-5 in the opening 10 minutes.CSUSB held East Bay to just 2-of-17 (11.8 percent) shooting from the floor, and 0-for-6 shooting from deep, while the Coyotes, while also failing to hit a triple, went 9-for-20 (45.0 percent) from the field. Graduate student Lauryn Morris (Irvine, Calif.) led all players with six points in the first.

Cal State East Bay found its stride in a big way in the second quarter, answering their five-point first with 28 points in the second period, narrowing the deficit to just two at 35-33 at halftime. Senior Deannah Buckner (Rialto, Calif.) had a huge quarter for CSUSB, going 4-of-5 with a couple of threes for 10 points.

Cal State San Bernardino outpaced East Bay 19-16 in the third quarter to stretch their advantage to five entering the final frame. The Yotes spread out their offense as seven different players put up points, led by graduate student Jaida Jackson (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and sophomore Citlali Salazar (Los Angeles, Calif.) with four points each.

CSUSB pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure the win, outscoring the visitors 24-18. Jackson finished the fourth quarter with eight points, while Morris posted seven to help the Yotes to the win.

Buckner was the leading scorer for the Coyotes in the win, posting 17 points, four steals, four assists, and three rebounds. Jackson and Morris each finished with 15 points for CSUSB, with Jackson dishing out eight assists. Morris is now just two points away from 1,000 in her collegiate career.

Next up for the Yotes, they will host San Francisco State for Senior Day on Saturday at Coussoulis Arena. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m., following the Senior Day ceremony at approximately 12:45.