Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. – A hot-shooting night at the free-throw line and a dominating performance on the boards gave the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team a 67-59 victory over Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday night at Pioneer Gym. Down the stretch, the Pioneers (6-11, 3-8 CCAA) went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe and finished the game with a 51-29 advantage on the boards to earn their third CCAA win of the season. 

“We had two goals, hit the glass and pound the ball inside,” Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said. “I thought we accomplished both in earning a very challenging win against Stanislaus who shot the ball really well from the outside.”

Junior Marlene MacMillan matched a career high with 25 points on the night, going 11-for-15 from the floor and posting her third double-double of the season with 13 rebounds, including six offensive boards. MacMillan was also key on defense, notching four blocks to lead all players. Sophomore Brianna Terrance continued her hot streak, scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds, marking the third straight game and fourth contest in five that she has reached double figures in scoring, all off the bench. Cassie Coble, Nia Bravo and Micah Walker all added six points apiece on a night where all but one Pioneer player scored at least two points. Coble made the most of the start, pulling down nine rebounds and adding four assists to lead the team.

“Marlene responded had a tremendous game,” Barcomb said. “And once again Bri gave us big minutes off of the bench. Nia provided the team with a much needed emotional lift and her leadership and defense were outstanding.”

Overall the Pioneers finished shooting 36.5 percent from the floor but did not connect once in 15 tries from beyond the arc. East Bay's free throw shooting was superb, as it had its second-best night of the season at the charity stripe, converting on 21 of its 24 foul shots. The Pioneers were also a force on the glass, grabbing 51 boards and scoring 21 second-chance points off their 23 offensive rebounds. The East Bay bench was also a force, posting 21 points on the night.

“We did not shoot the ball particularly well from the outside so our offensive glass work was very important,” Barcomb said. “Our defense was shaky but we got the stops and defensive rebounds down the stretch when we needed it most. We were outstanding from the free throw line.”

Playing with a short bench and without their leading scorer, four of the Warriors' five starters scored in double figures, led by Erin Godde's 17 points and Jameiz Terrell's 16. Terrell, Brianna Cotton and Lauren Godde paced CSUS on the boards, pulling down seven rebounds apiece. The Warriors finished shooting 33.9 percent from the floor and going 8-for-26 from three-point range, including five second-half threes.

Despite opening the game with an administrative technical that gave Cal State Stanislaus a pair of free throws before first tip, the Pioneers opened up an early lead, taking a 10-5 advantage on a jumper from Lucchesi with 15:15 to play. The two teams traded baskets and East Bay still led by five, 14-9, with 13 minutes remaining before Cal State Stanislaus scored four straight points to cut the gap to just one point. The back-to-back baskets for the Warriors opened an 11-5 scoring run that gave them a 21-20 advantage and the lead for the first time since the game-opening free throws. East Bay answered back, however, tying the game at 21 and then matching the Warriors bucket-for-bucket for the next three minutes.

Tied at 30 with 2:47 to play, the Pioneers got a stop on the next two Stanislaus possessions, getting a block and a rebound from MacMillan, before she put away a second-chance jumper on the other end to give East Bay a 32-30 lead. East Bay's third consecutive defensive stop gave East Bay a chance at the last basket and MacMillan got another offensive board and a foul before converting on a pair of free throws to give East Bay a 34-30 advantage at the half.

MacMillan had a monster half for the Pioneers, leading all players with 18 points and nine rebounds and going 8-for-9 from the field. Terrance was also key off the bench, grabbing seven rebounds and combining with MacMillan for seven offensive boards. As a team, the Pioneers shot 34.2 percent from the floor and 8-for-10 from the charity stripe, but went 0-for-14 from long range in the half. East Bay more than doubled Cal State Stanislaus' efforts on the boards, out-rebounding the Warriors 32-15. On the other end, Erin Godde posted 10 points and four boards for Cal State Stanislaus, which shot 31.3 percent from the field and knocked down three shots from beyond the arc.

Though the Warriors opened the half with a basket from Erin Godde to cut the lead to just two before East Bay answered with six straight points to open an eight-point advantage, its largest of the game to that point. The run saw MacMillan push her point total to 22 with a pair of jumpers, while Walker kept the Pioneers' hot shooting at the foul line going, knocking down a pair of free throws to put them up 40-32 with 17:57 remaining. The Warriors then put together a run of their own, holding East Bay to just three free throws over the course of the next five minutes. Meanwhile, Cal State Stanislaus went on an 13-3 run to take back the lead, 45-43, with 12:26 to play.

Terrance ended the Pioneers' field goal drought with a jumper to tie the game at 45 apiece before a three from Cotton gave the Warriors at 48-45 advantage. Terrance continued to keep the Pioneers afloat on the offensive end, scoring their next six straight point to put them up 51-48 with 10:24 to play. Coble made it an 8-0 run with a long jumper before the Warriors ended their nearly three minute drought with a three to cut the gap back to two points, 53-51. Nia Bravo extended the East Bay lead to six with back-to-back buckets and held onto that six-point lead, 59-53 with 5:52 remaining. Though the Warriors closed the gap to as little as four with a minute to play, the Pioneers continued their impressive night at the charity stripe, going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line over the final 42 seconds to clinch the victory. The second half saw the Pioneers shoot 40 percent from the floor and connect on 13 of their 14 free-throw opportunities.

Cal State East Bay returns to the road next week to kick off a four-game road swing leading up to Homecoming 2012. The Pioneers will head to Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills to kick off the second half of the CCAA campaign on Jan. 27 and 28, respectively.