Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. - On the strength of Marlene MacMillan's third double-double in the last four games and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team extending its winning streak to three games with a 46-41 victory over San Francisco State on Friday night at Pioneer Gym. With the win, the Pioneers (9-13, 6-10 CCAA) moved into sole possession of eighth place in the conference standings. 

“I would much rather win ugly than lose pretty,” Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said. “And with our depleted roster we are going to have games like this. We were very fortunate to earn the win. We had no legs but we hit a few more shots than SFSU, not many, but a few. Gutsy win for this team and for our program.”

MacMillan posted her sixth double-double of the season, scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and adding 10 boards, to mark her sixth straight game with double-digit rebounds. MacMillan also hit a pair of key free throws in the final 15 seconds to secure the win for the Pioneers. Joining MacMillan in double digits was Lauren Lucchesi, who posted 10 points and came up one rebound shy of a double-double of her own with nine rebounds.

Micah Walker also contributed, posting nine points, including a pair of threes, for the Pioneers. Both Cassie Coble and Carly Bettencourt were clutch on the glass, helping East Bay out-rebound the Gators, 43-37, with seven rebounds apiece. Coble also added a pair of blocks, while Bettencourt dished out a team-leading three assists.

“Thank goodness we made a commitment to rebounding the ball in the second half and defending,” Barcomb said. “We had really strong efforts on the glass by Lu, Mac and Cassie.”

As a team the Pioneers shot 34.8 percent from the field but made just four of their 15 attempts from beyond the arc. For the fourth straight game, East Bay shot better than 70 percent from the charity stripe, knocking down eight of its final 10 free throws to hold off the Gators late in the game. East Bay struggled to hold onto the ball, committing 27 turnovers, including 16 in the second half.

“We did not value the basketball and played at a pace we are not comfortable with and that is a credit to SFSU and the press,” Barcomb said.

The Gators were led by Nicole Hicks' 15 points, including a 9-for-12 performance from the foul line. Angela Van Sickel added 10 points and three steals for SF State, while Michaela Booker tied with Hicks with seven rebounds to lead the team. SF State shot just 24.6 percent from the field and finished with just two three-point baskets in 13 attempts. The Gators posted 14 steals while committing 17 turnovers themselves and went to the free-throw line 15 times in the second half, converting on 11 of those chances to help make it a close game late.

Though the Gators opened scoring with a three, the Pioneers quickly closed the gap with back-to-back jumpers from MacMillan and Lucchesi that sparked a 21-6 run to put East Bay up by 12, 21-9, midway through the half. The run saw Walker score eight points and hit a pair of threes and Lucchesi post seven of her own. Though SF State ended a three-minute scoring drought with a jumper at the 7:52 mark, the Pioneers continued to push the lead thanks to a second-chance bucket on the rebound from Coble and a steal and basket from Nia Bravo to build a 25-11 advantage with 6:44 to play. The Gators were undeterred, however, holding Cal State East Bay without a basket for the remainder of the half while going on a seven-point run to finish the first half trailing 25-18.

The Pioneers shot well in the opening frame, going 10-for-24 from the field and hitting three shots from long range. On the other end, the Gators shot just 25 percent from the field and went 2-for-8 from three-point range, but held a 21-19 advantage on the boards. Neither team handled the ball well, combining for 21 turnovers in the half.

San Francisco State came out fast in the second half, closing the gap to just one with six straight points to open the second frame. The Pioneers answered with a 9-1 run that included a pair of jumpers from MacMillan and a three from Bettencourt to take a 34-25 lead with 15:02 to play. The Gators responded with three straight to cut the lead to just three before East Bay scored seven straight over the next five minutes to take a 13-point advantage, 41-28, with 9:27 to play. 

Over the next eight minutes, SF State chipped away at the lead, holding the Pioneers to just three points and cutting the lead down to three, 44-41, with a minute left to play. MacMillan, however, hit a pair of free throws with just 14 seconds remaining to give East Bay a five-point lead and the win.

Cal State East Bay returns to action tomorrow when it plays host to Cal Poly Pomona for Homecoming. The Pioneers and Broncos are set to get underway at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at Pioneer gym.