Box Score
Box score

HAYWARD, Calif. - Though the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team led at the half, a rough second half led to a defeat to Cal State LA on Monday afternoon at Pioneer Gym. The Pioneers (4-5, 1-3 CCAA) had three players score in double figures and led for most of the first half, but could not hold off a Golden Eagles squad that shot 65 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range in the second half. 

“This was a tough way to go into our holiday break,” Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said. “We didn't compete against our opponents' pressure the way I would have liked. We had too many costly turnovers on our end and too many easy baskets for them. Back-to-back games in the CCAA will always be extra challenging for us as we try and build our young team and our understanding of what it takes to compete at this level night in and night out.” 

For the third straight game, freshman Micah Walker led the scoring for East Bay, posting 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Cassie Coble added 12 points for the Pioneers, going 7-for-7 from the charity stripe and tying for second on the team with five boards. Junior Marlene MacMillan joined Coble and Walker in double figures, posting her first double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds and adding a pair of blocks. The trio gave East Bay three players in double digits in scoring for the second straight game.

“Marlene had a very solid game today with a double-double,” Barcomb said. “She is such an important leader for our team. Cassie was tremendous off the bench and played competed well today.”

Off the bench, the Pioneers got help from Brianna Terrance, who posted six points and three boards in 15 minutes, and Carly Bettencourt, who added five points, two rebounds and a steal. East Bay held a 40-30 advantage on the boards, with all but two players contributing to the rebounding efforts.

Cal State LA had three in double figures, led by Tessondra Williams' 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field, including a 4-for-6 performance from three-point range, with three of those coming in the second half. Jazzi Johnson added 15 points and led the Golden Eagles with eight rebounds. Lacy Ramon joined the pair in double digits with 13 points and dished out a game-high five assists in the win. Williams also added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals for Cal State LA.

As a team, the Pioneers shot 37 percent for the game, but just 30.8 percent in the second half, when they went ice cold from three-point range, hitting just one of their 10 attempts from beyond the arc. East Bay also struggled from the free-throw line in the second frame, shooting 61.5 percent after going 6-for-8 on foul shots in the first half. Both teams had trouble holding onto the ball, combining for 42 turnovers and 18 steals. As the game progressed, Cal State LA shot better and was lights out in the second half, going 13-20 from the field with six threes. Though the Golden Eagles hit just 59 percent of their free throws, their second half shooting and defense was enough to seal the win.

“We need to learn to play with composure,” Barcomb said. “We lost the three-ball shooters and a better understanding of what we need to do defensively is critical at this stage.”

Cal State LA built an early four-point lead to start off the game, getting a three from Williams with 15:58 to play to take a 9-5 lead. The Pioneers responded with a 24-7 run over the next nine minutes, to take a 13-point lead. The run saw the Golden Eagles commit seven turnovers while Walker and Coble combined for 10 of East Bay's 24 points. Cal State LA answered back to end the half, chipping away at the East Bay lead with a 13-3 run that included a three-minute scoring drought for the Pioneers and cut their advantage to just three points, 32-29, with 1:47 left in the half. Back-to-back layups from Johnson pulled LA within one, 32-31, before two free throws from Terrance gave the Pioneers a 34-31 advantage at the half.

The Golden Eagles carried their momentum into the second half, getting off to a fast start. After a layup from MacMillan pushed the Pioneer lead to five, Cal State LA held the Pioneers without a point for the next seven minutes and put together a 19-0 run, sparked by back-to-back threes from Williams. The run allowed Cal State LA to grab the lead and hold onto it, pulling away by 14, 50-36, with 12:05 remaining.

East Bay finally snapped the scoring drought with a jumper from Frieda Li and went on a 7-2 run that included five points from Li to cut the lead back to nine points. The hot-shooting Golden Eagles were unfazed, though, almost immediately regaining the double-digit lead and holding onto it for the remainder of the game. Cal State LA led by as many as 19, 70-51, with 4:18 left to play, but the Pioneers closed out the game with a streak of their own, holding the Golden Eagles scoreless for three minutes and cutting the lead down to 11 thanks to five late free throws from Coble. Cal State LA closed out the scoring with a free throw to end the drought and cap the 71-59 win.

Cal State East Bay now takes its required 10-day break for the holidays, but will return to action on Dec. 30 against Cal State Monterey Bay. The Pioneers and Otters are set for a 4 p.m. tip at Pioneer Gym following the holiday break.