ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The Sonoma State women's basketball team faced a must-win situation on Saturday evening, needing to beat the third-place team in the conference Cal State LA.  The Seawaolves played a near flawless second quarter to build a lead they would never relinquish in a 6-46 victory.  SSU finished the regular season at 9-10 in the CCAA and earned a trip to the conference tournament as the No. 6 seed after Stanislaus State fell to Cal State Dominguez Hills. 
 
The two teams felt each other out in the opening six minutes with just a handful of baskets and the score tied 8-8.  From there the Seawolves defense took over, holding the Golden Eagles without a point for the final four-plus minutes of the first.  On the offensive side Jayme Blackard and Cielo Gonzalez both made tough layups and Chasity Spady knocked down a jumper to end the period on an 8-0 run and a 14-8 advantage. 
 
Sonoma State took over the game in the second quarter playing outstanding basketball while shooting 77% from the field.  The Seawolves scored 24 points in the quarter and led by as many as 19.  Amanda Luckett scored the first two baskets of the quarter and Taylor Johnson buried a 3-pointer to push the margin to 11 with just over six minutes remaining.  Later, Alli McDonald converted a layup and Aaryn Pickett made a basket and a 3-pointer to make it 35-16.  Zane Sheckherd ended the half with a 3-pointer of her own and the Seawolves led 38-20 at the break. 
 
Cal State LA regrouped at halftime and started cutting into the deficit with a 3-point barrage from Nicole Flennaugh to cut the 18-point lead down to nine.  McDonald stopped the run with a pair of free-throws in the final minute to push the advantage to 11 at the end of the third. 
 
The lead shrank even more at the beginning of the fourth with the visitors scoring the first five points and pulling with six, the closest they had been since the first quarter.  With the score 50-44 the Seawolves once again got going and quickly pushed it back to double digits.  Johnson and Sheckherd hit two free-throws apiece and Spady made a tough layup to make it 56-44 with four minutes left.  Sonoma State's defense did the rest, limiting the Golden Eagles to just two points in the final seven minutes. 
 
The Seawolves dominated the paint with 34 points coming near the basket.  Pickett and Sheckherd both shined on their Senior Day, combining for 20 points and 13 rebounds.  Pickett led the way with 11 points while Sheckherd tacked on nine points, seven rebounds and five assists.  Luckett also reached double figures with ten points and added a key block late in the game to seal the win. 
 
Sonoma State will square off with Cal State LA again on Thursday in the first round of the CCAA Tournament.  The Seawolves and Eagles will open the tournament schedule with a 12:00 pm tip on the campus of Cal Poly Humboldt. 
 
This marks the fifth straight CCAA Tournament berth for the Seawolves, including appearances in all four seasons with Rich Shayewitz at the helm. 
 
Tickets to the tournament can be found at http://goccaa.org/tickets with the live stream at ccaanetwork.com.