Friday, Jan. 20 - Jam the Gym
vs. Chico State (8-6, 5-5 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym - Hayward
5:30 p.m.
Live stats
Saturday, Jan. 21 - Read with the Pioneers Night
vs. Cal State Stanislaus (5-9, 2-8 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym - Hayward
5:30 p.m.
Live stats
HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay women's basketball team returns home for the first time in three weeks to cap the first half of the CCAA season when it plays host to Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus this weekend at Pioneer Gym. The Pioneers (5-10, 2-7 CCAA), who are looking to get back on track after a pair of losses on the road last week, will welcome the Wildcats on Friday before facing the Warriors on Saturday, with both games scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip.
East Bay played its best overall game of the season last weekend against then-No. 2 UC San Diego, shooting 50 percent from the field and scoring a season-high 73 points in the loss. The Pioneers had four players score in double figures and had their best shooting half of the season in the second frame, knocking down 62.9 percent of their shots and coming back from a 19-point lead to trail by just eight with under a minute to play. The Tritons were too much to handle, however, as each of their five starters scored in double figures and they shot 55 percent as a team.
As a team, East Bay has been making the most of its opportunities from the floor of late, shooting at least 40 percent from the field in each of the last three games. Those baskets haven't been from three-point range, however, as the Pioneers have struggled to convert from beyond the arc, shooting no better than 30 percent over the past six contests. Although East Bay had back-to-back games where it shot better than 70 percent from the charity stripe, including an 11-for-12 performance in the win over SF State, but only made 11 trips and shot just 54.5 percent from the foul line in the loss to Cal State San Bernardino last weekend.
Despite any offensive troubles, CSUEB has continued to play quality defense, holding opponents to just 60 points per game to rank fourth in the CCAA. The Pioneers are also second in the league in rebounding defense, allowing the opposition just 35 rebounds per contest. East Bay is also out-rebounding opponents by an average of 1.6 boards per game, which also ranks among the top three in the conference.
Junior
Lauren Lucchesi's back-to-back games shooting 50 percent from the field have given her the new team lead in scoring as she is averaging 9.6 points per game. Lucchesi is also coming off her second 19-point performance this season and is the Pioneers' top three-point shooter, hitting 33.3 percent of her shots from long range. Fellow junior
Marlene MacMillan is leading the East Bay rebounding efforts, pulling down 8.2 boards per contest to rank sixth in the CCAA. MacMillan is also adding 7.5 points per game, while freshman
Micah Walker is adding 8.9 points per contest. Meanwhile,
Sarah Finlay and
Brianna Terrance are making an impact off the bench for the Pioneers, scoring 7.7 and 6.4 points per game, respectively, with Terrance also adding 4.2 rebounds per game to rank second on the team.
The Pioneers currently sit in 10th place in the CCAA and will meet a Chico State team that sits in sixth place and a Warriors squad that is one game behind East Bay in 11th. Cal State East Bay will be looking to finish the first half of the conference campaign strong and build momentum going into the second half of the season. At 2-7 in CCAA play, the Pioneers are just one game back of the two squads tied for eighth place, a crucial spot, as the top eight teams in the league go on to play in the CCAA Tournament.
Checking On Chico State
The Wildcats come into Friday's meeting with an 8-6 overall record and a 5-5 mark in CCAA play. Chico State is coming off a homestand that saw it go 2-5, including a split last weekend against Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State LA. Prior to that, however, the Wildcats nearly knocked off undefeated UC San Diego, falling to the Tritons, 97-91 in double overtime. Chico is in the top half of the conference in scoring, averaging 65.4 points per game and is the top free-throw shooting squad in the league, hitting 79.1 percent of its foul shots. The Wildcats also own the fourth-best rebounding and assists averages in the league. Synchro Bull's 14.7 points per game are fourth in the conference, while her 5.5 rebounds per contest also lead the team and rank among the top 20 in the CCAA. Jazmine Miller is 16th in Division II in free-throw percentage, knocking down 87.8 percent of her foul shots, while Courtney Hamilton's 3.2 assists per game rank third in the league. Last year, the Pioneers and Wildcats split the season series, with East Bay capturing a 74-69 win at Pioneer Gym.
Watching the Warriors
Cal State Stanislaus enters the weekend with a 5-9 overall record and a 2-8 mark in CCAA play. The Warriors ended a three-game losing streak last week when they topped Cal State Dominguez Hills to earn a weekend split at home. CSUS is another team the Pioneers don't want to send to the foul line, as it is fourth in the CCAA with its 69.5 percent shooting from the charity stripe. The Warriors boast the league's leading scorer in Theresa Henderson, who is posting 21.2 points per game to rank seventh in the nation. Last week, Henderson had a pair of games with at least 25 points, finishing the weekend averaging 26.5 points and 12 rebounds. On the season, Henderson is also averaging close to double figures in rebounds, leading the Warriors with 9.9 boards per game. Helping out Henderson are Lauren Godde and Jameiz Terrell, who are both also averaging in double digits in scoring. Godde also adds 8.6 rebounds per game. Last season, the Pioneers picked up their fourth CCAA win of the year against CSUS at home to earn the season split with the Warriors.
Jam the Gym Promotion - Jan. 20
Friday's matchup with the Wildcats will be the second annual “Jam the Gym” Night, sponsored by Chipotle. If 1,000 fans come out to cheer on the Pioneers, everyone in the gym will get a coupon for FREE Chipotle at Chipotle Mexican Grill in Castro Valley.
Read with the Pioneers Night – Jan. 21
Come out and support local elementary schools as we honor the readers who participated in our Read with the Pioneers program. Help us celebrate the 261 students that read 60,000 pages as part of our annual program that encourages local students to discover the joys of reading.
Looking Ahead
Cal State East Bay returns to the road next weekend as it kicks off a four game road swing leading into Homecoming 2012. The Pioneers will travel to Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills next weekend before making the trek north to Humboldt State and Sonoma State on Feb. 2 and 4, respectively. When East Bay returns to Hayward, the campus community will celebrate Homecoming 2012 from Feb. 6-12. The week-long celebration of Pioneer pride will include the annual East Bay Idol contest, Homecoming Parade, the second round of the “Battle of the Bay” with SF State, a celebration of the first Pioneer men's basketball team and much more!
