Wednesday, Nov. 21
vs. Westmont College (4-0)
Pioneer Gym | Hayward
4 p.m.
Live stats

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Pioneer women's basketball team, with a 2-1 record, will play their final pre-season game of the season against visiting Westmont College on November 21. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.

The Pioneers improved to 2-1 with an 84-48 victory over the Alaska Nanooks last Saturday. After three games, the Pioneers have averaged 66 points a contest, while holding their opponents to 47.7 points a game. Opponents are only shooting 22.8 percent from the field, and 16.7 percent from the three-point area. The Pioneers have averaged 52.3 rebounds compared to 37 boards for their opponents.

Micah Walker is the Pioneers' leading scorer averaging 13.5 points a game. Lauren Lucchesi is averaging 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds after three games. Meaghan Cichoke is netting 8.7 points and five rebounds a game. Tori Breshers, coming off a 16-point performance against Alaska, is netting 10 points in three games off the bench. Rachel Finnegan is averaging a team-best 9.3 rebounds a contest.

The Pioneers two strengths so far, rebounding and defense, have been key in their three games and will be crucial in their contest against a talented Westmont team.

“Two things you can control, rebounding and defense because it is about effort, so we will continue to stress those two critical points with our young team,” Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said. “We must be able to limit our opponents second chance opportunities in order for us to stay competitive in games.”

Watching Westmont
The Warriors, ranked No. 7 in the NAIA, are 4-0 this season. They have outscored their opponents by a combined 80 points. Westmont also defeated Pepperdine University 67-60 in an exhibition game. The Warriors will play Cal Maritime on November 20 prior to their game with the Pioneers. Last season, Westmont finished with a 31-4 record and reached the NAIA Quarter-Finals. NAIA Division I National Player of the Year Tugce Canitez returns for her senior campaign. Canitez, the Warriors' leading scorer with a 13.5 point per game average, recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a Warrior 56-55 victory over Carroll (Montana). Kelsie Sampson, with two double-doubles this season, is averaging 12 points a game. 

“Without question, Westmont is an extremely talented, well-rounded team,” Barcomb said. “They are incredibly disciplined on both ends of the floor and truly don't have any weaknesses. When you have a player like Tugce Canitez on your team you will be on the winning end of most games. I scheduled this game for a variety of reasons, but mainly I wanted to evaluate the growth of this program from last season to this season. Our focus can't always be about winning our pre-season games; it must be about preparing our team for the challenges of the CCAA.”

Following their game with Westmont, the Pioneers will be off during the Thanksgiving break and return to action on November 30 against San Francisco State.

“The Thanksgiving break can be a good thing or it can disrupt the flow of our progress,” Barcomb said.  “At this point, I think it might be a good opportunity for us to take a step back and evaluate our strengths and weaknesses. If the team utilizes their time away from school and practices correctly we could benefit from the break. We only play three games basically in the month of December,  due to the usual CCAA schedule, our finals week and the holidays. This is the time to get healthy, grow as a team and sharpen our skills.”