Box Score Box score

HAYWARD, Calif. – In front of a Homecoming crowd of over 400 fans, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team could not overcome a 10-point second-half deficit in a hard-fought, 49-46 loss to San Francisco State on Saturday night. Despite holding the advantage on the boards, the Pioneers (2-18, 2-14 CCAA) were at a disadvantage at the free-throw line, where the Gators scored 13 of their 27 second-half points.

“We need everyone to show up and play to their potential each game,” CSUEB Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said. “We didn't have that happen tonight. We have to match our opponent's intensity. We just can't afford to make the mistakes we are making. Tonight the turnovers and free throw discrepancies prevented us from winning the game.”

Lauren Lucchesi posted double-digits in scoring for the third time in the last five games, leading East Bay with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Senior guard Kristina Lin joined Lucchesi in double figures with 10 points, going 4-for-6 from the field with a pair of threes. Azizi Dotson, Marlene MacMillan and Maria Dinesen shared the rebounding duties, pulling down five boards apiece for the Pioneers, who out-rebounded the Gators 37-25, snagging 15 offensive boards.

The Pioneers shot 32 percent from the field, knocking down eight of their 20 shots from long range to finish shooting 40 percent from downtown. East Bay committed 22 turnovers, but forced 20 Gator miscues and posted six steals. Though the Pioneers shot 85.7 percent from the charity stripe, they only had seven opportunities, including just two in the second half.

“If you look at the stats there us one glaring difference and that's the free throws,” Barcomb said. “We took 12 more shots than SFSU. We had 15 offensive boards but we shot only two free throws in the second half compared to 17 for SF State, and those came in the last second of the game.”

Dominique Hunter posted a double-double to lead SF State, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Hunter scored 12 of her points from the free-throw line, while Sherika Miller added 10 points for the Gators. SFSU finished the game shooting 34.2 percent from the field and 82.6 percent from the charity stripe, while adding five blocks and six steals.

The Pioneers opened up an early four-point lead in the first half after getting a pair of threes from Lucchesi. The Gators surged back over the next 10 minutes, however, going on a 14-3 run that gave it a 20-13 lead with 5:40 left in the half. The run saw SFSU hit two shots from long range and force six East Bay turnovers.

Following the run, the Pioneers grabbed back momentum with 10 unanswered points to take a 23-20 lead. Dotson turned things on during the run, converting on an and-one situation at the 5:22 mark to spark East Bay and finishing with five points in that span. Sarah Finlay contributed the other five points, knocking down a pair of free throws and a three to put the Pioneers up by three. Though the Gators capped the scoring with a bucket from Nicole Hicks, East Bay went to the half with a 23-22 advantage.

Though the score was tied twice early in the second half, San Francisco State regained control by taking advantage at the free throw line to open a 10-point lead, 40-30, with 7:24 left. The Pioneers gifted the Gators 11 chances at the charity stripe during that span, with SFSU connecting nine times. Just eight of their 17 points in the first 12 minutes came from the field.

East Bay responded by picking up its offensive rebounding and holding onto the ball for nearly three minutes while MacMillan hit back-to-back jumpers to cut the lead to six points, 40-34, with 4:44 remaining. SF State regained a nine-point lead twice over the next four minutes before the Pioneers got a three from Lucchesi to move within six again, 48-42, with 31 seconds left.

After SFSU hit its 13th free throw of the half, the Pioneers got a three from Frieda Li with three seconds left to cut the Gator lead to just four. Dinesen stole the San Francisco State inbounds pass and converted on the first free throw of the one-and-one situation after getting fouled with one second left.

Trailing 49-46, Barcomb called a timeout to get the play set and after Dinesen missed the free throw, the Pioneers got the ball back after the rebound went out off a Gator player. With less than a second to play, East Bay needed to catch-and-shoot off the inbounds, but couldn't get a handle on the ball, ending their game-tying hopes and giving SFSU the win.

Cal State East Bay returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 10, when they play host to Chico State in the first of their final two home games of the 2010-11 campaign. The Pioneers and Wildcats are set for a 5:30 p.m. start in the annual WBCA Pink Zone game to help raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.