Box Score LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s women's basketball team fell behind early for the third straight game, but used a strong second-half performance to post a win in the CSULA Thanksgiving Classic.

The Golden Eagles trailed by as many as seven points in the first half, but outscored the Sunbirds, 39-23, in the second half to earn a 72-55 victory in the opening day of the two-day tourney in the Eagles Nest. Point Loma defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 70-43, in the early game on Friday.
 
Cal State L.A. (3-0) enjoyed a 56-34 rebounding edge and won despite a relatively cold shooting performance. The Golden Eagles shot just 38.4 percent (28-of-73) and made only three of their 19 attempts from behind the 3-point arc (15.8 percent0. Cal State L.A. was also just 13-of-21 from the free-throw line.
 
Fresno Pacific (0-5) started quickly and opened up a 14-7 lead in the first six minutes of the game. The Sunbirds, though, wound up shooting just 31.5 percent for the game (17-of-54) and 10-of-19 from the free-throw line.
 
Tessondra Williams had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Golden Eagles, while Kaija Powell had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes. She also had four assists.
 
Keairra White had 15 points to lead Fresno Pacific, while Kayla Clement had 12 points and four rebounds.
 
Cal State L.A. won with its depth. The Golden Eagles had 12 players score in the game. Maryum Jenkins added nine points, Alyssa Hanson had eight points and four rebounds and Bree Parsons had seven points, all early in the second half, to help the Golden Eagles take control of the contest. Richelle Najera and Lacey Gibbons each grabbed nine rebounds for the Golden Eagles.
 
Fresno Pacific used a 9-0 run to erase a 7-5 deficit and led by seven points twice, at 14-7 and at 18-11 following a 3-pointer by Charde Stevens. Cal State L.A., though, responded with its own 9-0 run to regain the lead. Hanson started the run with a basket and Powell scored on back-to-back layups before a free throw by Najera tied it at 18-18. Another layup by Powell gave the Golden Eagles a 20-18 lead. Fresno Pacific regrouped and led by as many as four points late in the first half, but Jenkins hit a late 3-pointer and a basket by Gibbons made it 30-29 at halftime.
 
A jumper by Paige Melville to open the second half gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good. Parsons added two more baskets to make it 35-30 before a 3-pointer by White brought Fresno Pacific back to within 35-33 with 17:20 to go.
 
Parsons, though, hit a 3-pointer, Melville hit a jumper off an assist from Parsons and Hanson hit a pair of free throws to give the Golden Eagles a 42-33 advantage. White hit another 3-pointer to make it 42-36, but an offensive rebound and basket by Hanson and two free throws by Gibbons gave the Golden Eagles their first double-digit lead at 46-36 with 12:40 to go.
 
The Golden Eagles led by at least nine points the rest of the way and had double-digit advantages over the final nine minutes.
 
In the opening game, Point Loma (2-0) got 18 points and six rebounds from Carlott Kloppenburg, 12 points and eight rebounds from Nyla Bailey and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Andrea Campbell to beat Cal State Dominguez Hills, 70-43.
 
Emilie Boege had 11 points for the Toros (0-3).
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills will face Fresno Pacific on Saturday at 1 p.m., while Cal State L.A. will play Point Loma at 3 p.m. to conclude the tourney.