SEATTLE (Interstat) — The Cal State Bakersfield women’s basketball team snapped a two-game skid and secured a rare road victory Saturday, using a dominant defensive performance to defeat Seattle 72-51 at Redhawk Center.

The Roadrunners, who entered the game with a 2-7 record, never trailed and held the Redhawks to a season-low in points, improving to 3-7. Seattle fell to 4-5.

The most important part of the game was a decisive third-quarter stretch where Cal State Bakersfield’s defense completely stifled the Redhawks. Leading 39-31 at halftime, the Roadrunners held Seattle to just nine points in the third quarter on 4-of-15 shooting while forcing seven turnovers. That defensive stand allowed Cal State Bakersfield to extend a single-digit lead to 57-40 heading into the final period, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Chrishawn Coleman led all scorers with 21 points for Cal State Bakersfield, adding six rebounds and a block. The guard from Arlington, Virginia, bounced back from a 12-point outing in her previous game. She was supported by a double-double from center Tena Ikidi, who had nine points and 14 rebounds, and 10 points apiece from Aaliyah Carter and Maria Dias. Carter also contributed five assists.

For Seattle, Tamia Stricklin scored 16 points and Ella Brubaker added 14, but the Redhawks struggled mightily from beyond the arc, making only 2 of 18 three-point attempts. The team also committed 23 turnovers, which the Roadrunners converted into 17 points.

Cal State Bakersfield set the tone early, opening the game on a 7-0 run and leading 22-15 after the first quarter. Seattle closed the gap to eight points by halftime but could not sustain any offensive rhythm after the break. The Roadrunners’ defense was particularly effective in the paint, recording eight steals and blocking two shots, while their work on the glass resulted in 15 offensive rebounds.

Statistically, the teams were even with 36 points each in the paint, but Cal State Bakersfield’s superior ball movement and ability to capitalize on Seattle’s mistakes proved decisive. The Roadrunners had eight assists to Seattle’s four and shot 42.6 percent from the field compared to the Redhawks’ 36.8 percent.

The victory defied the pregame projections from Interstat’s ELO system, which gave Seattle a 68.5 percent probability to win.

Cal State Bakersfield returns home to face Cal St. East Bay on Tuesday. Seattle travels to face Portland State on Wednesday.