ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The No. 21/12 Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (20-2, 18-1 CCAA) collected its 16th consecutive win on Thursday night with a 69-57 victory at Sonoma State (9-15, 8-10 CCAA).

TOP PERFORMERS
Kelsey Forrester – 14 points | 4 assists | 3 rebounds | 2 steals
Akayla Hackson – 11 points | 6 rebounds | 4 assists | 4 steals
Kate Carlson – 12 points | 5-of-8 FG | 5 rebounds
Dynnah Buckner – 11 points | 3-of-5 3FG
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Cougars took a 7-2 lead in the opening five minutes of play with Hackson sinking the first 3-pointer of the night.
• At 2-all, CSUSM scored 13 unanswered points and held SSU scoreless for seven minutes and 26 seconds.
• After shooting 41.7%, CSUSM held a 17-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Seawolves only made one field goal in 10 attempts in the 10 minutes with five points coming from the free throw line.
• CSUSM narrowly outscored SSU in the second quarter at 15-14.
• The Cougars took a 32-21 lead at the half with Hackson leading all scorers with nine points.
• CSUSM led the entire first half with its largest lead coming at 32-19 with less than one minute remaining until the break.
• The Cougars scored nine points off fast breaks and eight from offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
• CSUSM turned it on in the third quarter, going 8-of-13 (61.5%) from field and outscoring the Seawolves 24-16 to take a 56-37 lead into the final 10 minutes.
• SSU cut CSUSM's lead to nine twice in the fourth quarter, but a layup by Carlson followed by a 3-pointer in the corner from Forrester put CSUSM up 67-53 with 3:45 remaining in the game.
• CSUSM never allowed SSU within single digits in the last four minutes.

 
FAST BREAKS

• A win on Saturday against Cal Poly Humboldt will clinch CSUSM's second-consecutive regular-season title. In 2019-20, the Cougars shared the title with then-CCAA member and now NCAA Division I UC San Diego.
• CSUSM's 16 consecutive wins is a program record.
• The Cougars have already clinched a berth to the CCAA Tournament held on the campus of Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata on March 3-5.
• CSUSM's win percentage moved to .947 while Cal State East Bay's stayed at .933 due to the last two Pioneer games being ruled no contests.
• In CSUSM's first meeting with SSU earlier this season, the Cougars also recorded 69 points while holding the Seawolves to two less points at 55.
• Carlson's 12 points and 62.5 field-goal percentage (5-of-8) were both season highs.
• With her four steals against SSU, Hackson raised her CSUSM career total to 136 and is second all-time in the record books. In just two years at CSUSM, Sarah Jackson (2011-13) recorded 147 steals.
• CSUSM finished with 22 points off fast breaks while SSU only collected two points from them. 
• The Cougars won the battle of the boards, 40-29. 
• SSU's 46.2 3-point field-goal percentage (6-of-13) is the third highest recorded by a CSUSM opponent this season.
• The Cougars hold a 9-4 lead in the all-time series against the Seawolves and extended their win streak to four games. CSUSM is 3-3 when playing in The Wolves' Den.

 
UP NEXT
The Cougars will close out their regular season on Saturday night in Arcata when they play Cal Poly Humboldt at 5:30 p.m.