ATHERTON, CA – Smothering defense and plenty of transition scores were the hallmarks of the first Menlo Women's Basketball victory of the season, a 74-63 triumph over Cal State East Bay on Thursday inside Haynes-Prim Pavilion. Delivering 31 points in a third quarter that saw significant separation from their opponents, the Oaks were led by many eye-popping numbers including 12 steals from senior guard Jayonnah Carter.

"It was a hard-fought battle," said Head Coach Shannon Spataro. "East Bay challenged us, but our defense turned into offense, we got some easy buckets in transition, and we took care of it a little bit better so that was a recipe for success."

Oaks Highlights
-Jayonnah Carter and Mehkia Applewhite combined for 33 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists with Carter taking away 1?2 steals on her own
-15 points came with five steals for Alberte Frisch
-Kimberly Ceron-Romero filled the stat sheet with eight points, four rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and two assists in her collegiate debut

Menlo Shifts Momentum In Third Thanks To Transition Game
After quickly matching Cal State East Bay's 7-2 start with Carter's first steal leading to a layup for sophomore forward Zoe Carrillo and senior guard Alberte Frisch adding a triple, Menlo found themselves back by only six at the end of the first quarter with the Pioneers connecting on two triples in the final minute.

Five different Oaks collected nine total steals in the second quarter alone as nearly all of Menlo's points came off those forced turnovers including back-to-back fastbreak scores by Frisch and graduate student forward Frida Schmidt. An instant difference-maker, redshirt freshman guard/forward Kimberly Ceron-Romero had the final two layups of the half as the Oaks cut the margin to 30-28 going into the break.

As the two sides traded baskets early in the third, it was not until three minutes in that senior guard Mehkia Applewhite's second-chance score put Menlo up 40-39. Soon a 13-2 run was powered by Schmidt's triple, a three-point play by Frisch, and Carter free throws, allowing the Oaks to move in front by nine then eventually 12 thanks to a 6-0 run to end the quarter.

A 3-pointer by sophomore guard Madeline Bader plus key scores from sophomore forward Taylor Westbrook and Applewhite thereafter helped Menlo never let their lead drop below eight points until the final minute. One last push by CSUEB had the visitors within seven before the game fittingly ended on Carter's 12th steal and a transition bucket for the 74-63 final.

Up Next
One more home game remains in the non-conference slate as Menlo returns to Haynes-Prim Pavilion to host Chico State this Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m.