LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s women's basketball team got a career game from Paige Melville to open play in its CSULA Thanksgiving Classic on Friday.

Melville poured in a career-high 31 points and tied a program record with seven 3-pointers to lead the Golden Eagles to an 85-67 victory over Cal State San Marcos on Friday in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. (3-0) opened up a 19-point halftime and held off challenges from the Cougars in the second half.

In the first game on Friday, Cal State Dominguez Hills beat Point Loma Nazarene, 58-52, behind 15 points from Amber Wharton and 14 points and 12 rebounds from Monay Lee. Tayler Champion had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Toros (1-1), while Jessica Escorza had 16 points and six rebounds and Callie Rhoads had 15 points for Point Loma Nazarene (1-3).

Melville opened tournament play for Cal State L.A. in grand style. Her previous career high was 17 points, set in the Golden Eagles' most recent win over Dixie State on Nov. 23. She had 16 points in the first half to help Cal State L.A. open up a double-digit lead and she added 15 points in the second half. She was 10-of-15 from the floor and 7-of-9 from 3-point range, equaling the program mark by Lacey Gibbons in last year's Thanksgiving Classic.

Kaija Powell also had a big game for the Golden Eagles, scoring 16 points and Brittany Pennell had 11 points and five rebounds. Destinee La Fountain had six points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Sherika Miller led three Cal State San Marcos players in double figures with 19 points, while Cassie Damyanovich had 15 points and Heather Thompson had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Aiwekhoe Okungbowa had five points and nine rebounds for the Golden Eagles.

Cal State L.A. opened up a quick 10-2 lead and never trailed. Melville scored eight straight points, including six on a pair of 3-pointers, to help the Golden Eagles grab that early advantage. Alisha Belt opened the game with a basket for Cal State L.A.

A layup by Powell gave the Golden Eagles their first double-digit lead of the game at 19-8 and another layup by Powell late in the first half gave the Golden Eagles their biggest lead of the opening 20 minutes, 43-22. The Golden Eagles led at halftime, 43-24.

Cal State San Marcos made some nice runs in the second half and got the lead down to 13 points at 67-54 with 8:20 to go. Back-to-back baskets by Pennell and La Fountain followed by a three-point play by Powell bumped the lead back to 20 points, 74-54.

Cal State San Marcos again got the lead down to 13 points, 76-63, with 3:30 still to play, but baskets by Powell and Michaela Reed got the lead back to 17 points, 80-63, with 2:20 remaining. The Cougars again got the lead down to 13 points, 80-67, but Melville scored the last five points of the game, the final three on a 3-pointer, to wrap things up.

Cal State L.A. will conclude play in its tournament on Saturday against Point Loma Nazarene at 4 p.m. Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State San Marcos will begin the day at 2 p.m.