Thursday, Feb. 2
vs. Humboldt State (13-5, 9-5 CCAA)
Lumberjack Arena - Arcata
5:30 p.m
Live video | Live stats

Saturday, Feb. 4
vs. Sonoma State (8-10, 6-8 CCAA)
The Wolves' Den - Rohnert Park
5:30 p.m.
Live video & stats

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HAYWARD, Calif. – With just nine games remaining in the regular season, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team will look to finish the 2011-12 campaign strong and make a push for the CCAA Tournament beginning this weekend on the road at Humboldt State and Sonoma State. The Pioneers (6-13, 3-10 CCAA) enter the weekend in 10th place in the conference and will meet the Jacks on Thursday in Arcata before traveling to Rohnert Park to take on the Seawolves on Saturday, with both games scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start.

Marlene MacMillan, Lauren Lucchesi and Micah Walker are each averaging just over eight points per game to lead the Pioneer offense. MacMillan ranks among the top 30 in the CCAA in scoring, while her 49.7 percent shooting from the field ranks sixth in the league. MacMillan is also fifth in the rebounding, pulling down 8.5 boards per game to lead the team. In addition to helping lead the offense, Walker paces the team with 34 assists on the year and Lucchesi is third in rebounding with 3.8 boards per game.

Brianna Terrance has been a force off the bench of late, scoring in double figures in five straight games and seven of the last eight. Terrance ranks fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.9 points per game and is second in rebounding with 4.8 boars per contest, all coming off the bench in just over 18 minutes per game. Cassie Coble has also contributed, helping East Bay improve their free-throw shooting with her 77.4 percent shooting from the foul line, which ranks fifth in the conference. Meanwhile, Nia Bravo and Sarah Finlay have been crucial in providing leadership and vision in the backcourt since freshman guard Hege Blikra had her season ended by a knee injury.

The Pioneer defense still ranks among the best in the CCAA. East Bay is holding opponents to just under 60 points per game to rank fourth in the league and leads the conference in allowing the oppositions only 33.6 rebounds per game. The Pioneers sit second in the CCAA in rebounding margin, out-rebounding opponents by almost four boards per contest.

Despite shooting just 66 percent from the charity stripe for the season, East Bay has seen improvement at the foul line of late, shooting 71.2 percent from the line over the last four games, including a 21-for-24 performance in a win over Cal State Stanislaus. The Pioneers will need to continue that success in the coming weeks, as four of their wins have come on nights when they shot better than 70 percent from the free-throw line. East Bay will also need to step things up from long range, where they have gone without a basket twice in the last four games. The Pioneers are shooting just 27.5 percent from beyond the arc while allowing opponents an average of five three-pointers per game.

The CCAA stretch run looks like it will be an exciting one in the league, as the seventh-place and 10th-place teams are separated by just three wins. With the top eight teams reaching the CCAA Tournament, these final nine games are crucial for Cal State East Bay. Currently sitting just two wins out of the last tournament spot and facing off against the current sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place teams in the next three weeks, the Pioneers will be looking to pick up as many wins as possible to earn a spot in the postseason in their first year of eligibility since returning to Division II.

Judging the Jacks
Humboldt State enters the weekend with a 13-5 overall record and a 9-5 mark in CCAA play, good for a tie for fourth with Cal Poly Pomona. The Jacks are third in the league in scoring and shooting, averaging 67.3 points per game and shooting 41 percent from the field. HSU is also the top three-point shooting team in the conference, knocking down 35.9 percent of its shots from long range. Lisa Petty leads the Jacks' offensively, posting 13.8 points per game to rank seventh in the CCAA. Caitie Richards and Kayla Williams are also averaging double figures in scoring, while Bree Halsey leads the HSU rebounding efforts, ranking third in the league with 9.3 boards per game. Whitney Howard is the Jacks' best shooter, hitting 56.8 percent of her shots from the floor, while Patrice Saindon is third in the CCAA with 2.2 steals per game. In the two teams' first meeting this season, Humboldt State came away with a 66-44 victory at Pioneer Gym.

Scouting Sonoma State
The Seawolves carry a 8-10 overall record and a 6-8 league mark into this week's matchups with Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay. Sonoma State sits in seventh place in the CCAA coming into the weekend and is riding a three-game win streak after topping both Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus last week. The Seawolves boast the top scoring defense in the league, holding the opposition to just 53.9 points per game, while also ranking among the top four in the CCAA in steals and blocked shots. Jaclyn Bisordi leads the SSU offense, averaging 10.8 points per game and Aly Conway is knocking down 63.5 percent of her shots from the field, while leading the team with 5.5 rebounds per game. The last time the Pioneers and Seawolves met, Sonoma State picked up a 59-35 victory over East Bay to open the CCAA campaign.

Looking Ahead
When the Pioneers return to Hayward next week, 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! East Bay will then take a Valentine's Day trip to Cal State Monterey Bay before returning home to cap the home season against Cal State San Bernardino and No. 1 UC San Diego on Feb. 17 and 18, respectively. The Pioneers will honor lone senior Frieda Li when they face off against the Tritons.