SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino women's basketball team claimed its fifth consecutive win on Thursday evening, defeating Cal State San Marcos 69-63 in a CCAA contest at Coussoulis Arena.

With the win, the Coyotes improve to 7-5 overall and 5-2 in CCAA play.

The Coyotes trailed after by a point after a back and forth first quarter at 17-16. The Coyotes led by as many as five points midway through the quarter, but a 9-0 San Marcos run put the visitors ahead by four in the final minute of the period. The Coyotes stopped the bleeding however when senior Rebecca Saidoff (West Hills, Calif.) nailed a three with 22 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to one.

Cal State San Marcos carried a two-point lead into halftime after outpacing the Yotes 18-17 in quarter number two. Coyote sophomore Princess Cassell (Eastvale, Calif.) was the only player in double figures in the first half, posting 10 points.

CSUSB trailed by as many as six points four minutes into the third quarter, but the Coyotes went on a 13-2 run over four and a half minutes to flip the game on its head and give the hosts a five-point lead at 51-46. Minutes later, the third quarter ended with CSUSB ahead 52-48.

San Marcos was able to narrow the deficit down to just two points at 57-55 halfway through the fourth and final quarter, but that would be as close as they would get, as CSUSB would score 12 of the game's final 18 points to close out consecutive win number five.

Redshirt sophomore Jaushlyn Ruffin (Compton, Calif.) was the leading Coyote scorer in the win with 13 points and nine boards, while redshirt junior Hunter Simon (Temecula, Calif.) had a massive double-double with 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Cassell also finished the contest with 12 points.

Next up for the Coyotes, they will take on Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday in a CCAA contest at Coussoulis Arena. Tip is slated for 1 p.m.
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