Box Score Box score

SEATTLE, Wash. - Despite leading midway through the second half, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team couldn't hold off a strong Seattle Pacific squad, which claimed a 70-59 victory in the first game of the SPU/Sodexo Tip-Off Classic on Friday night. Though the Pioneers (1-2) shot better than the Falcons and only turned the ball over 11 times, SPU outscored them 22-10 over the final 10 minutes of the game to pick up the win. 

“We played at a highly competitive pace,” Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said. “It took us a bit to get going but really evened out in the first half. SPU is very talented. At times, we matched them basket-for-basket.”

East Bay had a trio of players reach double digits, led by Lauren Lucchesi's 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field, including three buckets from long range, and a 3-for-4 night from the charity stripe. Sophomore Sarah Finlay added 11 points, while freshman Micah Walker tied her season high with 10 points and dished out a team-leading four assists. Brianna Terrance led the Pioneer rebounding efforts with a career-high 10 boards. Junior Marlene MacMillan joined in on the glass with seven boards.

“We played team basketball,” Barcomb said. “I loved our energy. It was a really well-rounded effort for us. Lauren provided us with some great shooting inside and outside, while Micah came back from being on the shelf last Saturday to score double digits and provide some great passing. And, despite being out-rebounded, Brianna made her presence felt on the boards against a team that had several inches on us in the paint.”

Cal State East Bay forced 15 turnovers and gave up the ball just 11 times, a new season low, but lost the rebounding competition, with just 29 boards to the Falcons' 45. The Pioneers were on fire in the first half, shooting 50 percent from the floor and going 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. The second half was a different story, as East Bay shot 28 percent from the field and hit just one of its five three-point attempts. The Pioneers also went to the free-throw line 20 times but only knocked down 50 percent of their shots from the charity stripe.

“We need major attention given to our free-throw shooting,” Barcomb said. “We had too many lost opportunities there tonight.”

Jordan Harazin led five Seattle Pacific players in double figures with 13 points and five assists, while Katie Benson contributed 11 rebounds to lead the Falcons on the glass and added 12 points, eight of which came from the free-throw line. Rachel Murray notched 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.

The Falcons built an early 10-point lead with a 17-7 run in the first seven minutes of the game before East Bay answered with a 16-9 run of their own to close the gap to three points with 6:01 to play in the first half. The run saw the Pioneers hit three threes, force three turnovers and pull down three offensive boards. Though Seattle Pacific regained a 10-point lead, East Bay closed out the half on a 12-4 run sparked by a pair of free throws, a three and a steal from Lucchesi in quick succession. The half was capped by three from Micah Walker that cut the Falcons' halftime lead to just two, 39-37.

The Pioneers opened the second half with three unanswered points to take its first lead of the game, 40-39, with 18:27 to play. The two squads traded buckets until East Bay extended its lead to three points, 49-46, with 11:52 remaining. Despite the narrow lead, the Pioneers went cold to finish the game, giving up another 24 Falcon points while managing just another 10 of their own. SPU hit two of its three second-half threes in the final 10 minutes and grabbed six offensive rebounds during that span as well.

Cal State East Bay returns to action on Saturday, when it takes on Central Washington in its final game of the SPU/Sodexo Tip-Off Classic. The Pioneers and Wildcats, who toppled Harding in the tournament opener on Friday, are set for a 1 p.m. tip at Brougham Pavilion in Seattle tomorrow.