Box Score
Box score

HAYWARD, Calif. – Despite holding Cal State Monterey Bay to just 16 points in the first half, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team could not find it's shooting touch in the second half of an eventual 52-21 loss to the 25th-ranked Otters on Thursday night. The Pioneers (2-17, 2-13 CCAA) held Monterey Bay to 12 points below its season average and forced 18 Otter turnovers but shot just 10.5 percent in the second frame against the top team in the CCAA.

“It was a defensive battle in the first half,” CSUEB Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said. “We executed really well in the first half but we did not sustain that same effort in the second half.”

Senior forward Azizi Dotson's eight points paced East Bay, while Marlene MacMillan and Kristina Lin joined Dotson with four rebounds apiece to lead the Pioneers on the boards. The Pioneers finished with six steals and five blocks, getting two apiece from MacMillan and Cassie Coble.

Monterey Bay, which shot 61.1 percent in the second frame, was led by LaShawn Johnson's 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from three-point range. London Houchin joined Johnson in double figures with 11 points, while Holly Holcomb added nine points. Michelle Santizo helped the Otters maintain the advantage on the boards, pulling down eight rebounds to pace the

Though the Pioneers held the Monterey Bay to eight points in the first six minutes, East Bay got off to a slow start, going without a bucket and committing five turnovers before putting away its first basket at the 14:13 mark. The Dotson jumper kicked off a 6-0 run for the Pioneers, cutting the Otter lead to just two, 8-6 with just under 10 to play in the half.

After Monterey Bay rebuilt a six-point lead, 14-8, the Pioneers stormed back with four straight points to cut the lead to two again thanks to a pair of lay-ins from Dotson. Leading 14-12 with 1:29 remaining, the Otters finished the half with a jumper from Houchin to take a 16-12 advantage into the break.

Neither team shot well in the first half, with the Pioneers going 5-for-19 from the field and the Otters shooting just 18.8 percent from the floor. The two squads combined for 18 turnovers in the half, while Monterey Bay finished with a 22-18 advantage on the boards. Dotson led the Pioneers with eight points in the opening frame, while Holcomb and Houchin posted five points apiece to lead the Otters.

Monterey Bay found its shooting touch coming out of the break, opening the half with a 16-5 run that included a pair of threes from Johnson, her first two baskets of the night. The run spanned nearly 10 minutes and gave the Otters a 32-17 lead, their largest of the night, with 10:34 remaining.

The Pioneers struggled to find a rhythm in the second half, going scoreless for nearly 10 minutes and turning the ball over seven times during that span. Meanwhile, CSUMB continued to build its lead, scoring 13 unanswered points, including another two threes from Johnson. Sarah Finlay finally ended the scoring drought for the Pioneers, converting on a pair of chances from the free-throw line to cut the lead to 45-19 with 5:11 left in the half.

“We put too much pressure on our defense when we were unable to score,” Barcomb said. “The number one team in conference is going to score. We turned the ball over and missed too many easy opportunities.”

East Bay, however, could not find a basket, getting just two free throws from Coble in the final five minutes of play to finish with just two field goals and nine points in the second half. The Pioneers ended the game shooting just 18.4 percent from the field and with a season-low 21 points. CSUEB turned the ball over 21 times in the game, but forced 18 Otter turnovers, one shy of their season high.

“We must learn consistency in terms of effort,” Barcomb said. “After our last game I thought we had been taking some positive steps forward but tonight we did not show or growth as a team. Very disappointing.”

Cal State East Bay returns to action on Saturday night when they meet cross-bay rival San Francisco State (1-18, 1-14 CCAA) in the Battle of the Bay. SFSU fell to UC San Diego, 59-52, on Thursday night in La Jolla. In the teams' first meeting this season, San Francisco State held on for a narrow, 46-38, victory in San Francisco.

The Pioneers and Gators are set to meet in the Homecoming game at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Gym. Fans can attend a pre-game ASI/Alumni Tailgate in Lot A, featuring games, contests, face painting, music, food and more beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.