Friday, Feb. 17 - Play 4Kay Night
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (8-14, 7-11 CCAA)
Hayward - Pioneer Gym
5:30 p.m.
Live stats
Saturday, Feb. 18 - Senior Night
vs. #1 UC San Diego (24-0, 18-0 CCAA)
Hayward - Pioneer Gym
5:30 p.m.
Live stats
HAYWARD, Calif. – Only four games remain between the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team and the 2012 CCAA Tournament, where the team will be headed if it can maintain its seventh-place standing in the conference as it enters the final homestand of the season this weekend. The Pioneers (10-14, 7-11 CCAA) will meet Cal State San Bernardino in a must-win game on Friday before facing a tough challenge in No. 1-ranked and undefeated UC San Diego on Saturday for Senior Night, with both games scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
Despite dropping a 68-57 decision to Cal State Monterey Bay to snap a four-game winning streak on Tuesday, East Bay has won four of its last five games and five of its last eight. With only four games remaining, East Bay will take on two teams still in contention for tournament spots, with UCSD having already clinched a berth in the postseason. The Pioneers enter the weekend in a three-way tie for seventh in the CCAA with the Coyotes and Sonoma State and will be looking to pull out of the lockup with a win over Cal State San Bernardino, which claimed the first game of the season series on Jan. 14.
The Pioneers continue to impress on defense, allowing the opposition only 57.9 points per game and holding opponents to 37.7 percent shooting to rank second and third, respectively, in the league. East Bay is also leading the conference in rebounding defense, allowing opponents just 33.3 boards per game, while grabbing 37.4 rebounds of its own, giving it the second-best rebounding margin in the CCAA at +4.0. In addition, the Pioneers are one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the conference, pulling down an average of 14 offensive boards per contest. East Bay has out-rebounded its opponents in each of the last 12 games, including a season-high of +28 against SF State on Jan. 7.
Junior
Marlene MacMillan is pacing the Pioneers with 8.9 points per game, while
Lauren Lucchesi,
Brianna Terrance and
Micah Walker are all averaging at least eight points per contest as well. MacMillan has been on fire of late, scoring in double figures in five of the last eight games and four of her team-leading six double-doubles during that span. MacMillan has posted double-digit boards in seven of the last eight and is averaging 8.9 boards per game to rank fourth in the CCAA. Meanwhile Terrance is shooting 48.2 percent from the field to lead the team and rank among the top 10 in the league and Walker is averaging 2.5 assists per game over the last eight. With both
Sarah Finlay and
Hege Blikra out due to injury, the Pioneers have gotten help from all over the lineup and will need that help again this weekend to help secure a spot in the CCAA Tournament.
Scouting Cal State San Bernardino
The Coyotes come into Friday's game with an 8-14 overall record and a 7-11 mark in league play that puts them in a three-way tie for seventh place in the CCAA standings with the Pioneers and Sonoma State. Cal State San Bernardino is holding opponents to just 26.5 percent shooting from three-point range to rank third in the CCAA, while their shot blockers are posting 2.7 blocks per game to rank fourth in the league. The Coyotes are also the best ball-handling team in the conference, averaging just 12.3 turnovers per game, a total that ranks third in all of Division II. Angela Streets leads the CCAA and the CSUSB offense with 16.4 points per game, while Kristen Huffman's 7.4 rebounds per game are among the top 10 in the conference. Kenisha McKee's 1.4 blocked shots per game are the most in the league and Streets also tops the CCAA with 2.2 three-pointers per contest. In their first meeting this season, the Coyotes picked up a 63-47 win over the Pioneers in January.
Tracking the Tritons
UC San Diego enters the weekend matchups with Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay undefeated and as the No. 1 team in the Division II poll. The Tritons are among the nation's best in several statistical categories, boasting the No. 4 offense and scoring margin in Division II, averaging 79.6 points per game and out-scoring opponents by an average of 20 points per game. UCSD also holds the seventh-best shooting percentage in the nation, knocking down 45.9 percent of its shots. Reigning CCAA Player of the Week Chelsea Carlisle is pacing the Tritons with 16.3 points per game to rank second in the conference, while her six assists per game are fourth in Division II and lead the league. Lauren Freidenberg's 7.8 rebounds per contest rank sixth in the league and lead the team, while her 12.7 points per game are second on the team and among the top 10 in the CCAA. The last time the two teams met, UCSD claimed an 84-73 victory despite the Pioneers' 51 percent shooting from the field and four players scoring in double figures.
Looking Ahead
The Pioneers will spend the final two games of the season on the road, traveling to Cal State Stanislaus on Thursday, Feb. 23 before meeting Chico State in the regular season finale on Friday, Feb. 24 in Chico. Cal State East Bay will then find out whether its late push has resulted in a CCAA Tournament berth, which begins with the quarterfinals on campus sites on Feb. 28. The semfinals and final will follow at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla on Mar. 2 and 3.
Play 4Kay Night
Come out on Friday night to support the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's breast cancer awareness campaign, Play 4Kay, when the Pioneers take on Cal State San Bernardino. Play 4Kay, formerly known as Pink Zone, is an initiative that allows coaches, student-athletes and fans across the nation to raise breast cancer awareness and funds for cancer research through events on the court, across campuses and in communities. Through Play 4Kay, athletic departments and teams join the fight against cancer and raise money to benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The late Kay Yow, former North Carolina State head women's basketball coach, served as the catalyst for Play 4Kay after her third recurrence of breast cancer in 2006. Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and shared her goal of raising $5 million through the Play 4Kay initiative before she passed away on January 24, 2009. Since 2006, thousands have joined Coach Yow's team in the fight against breast cancer and raised over $1.5 million for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund
Senior Night
Join us in honoring our Pioneer basketball seniors on Saturday, when the Pioneers take on UC San Diego.
Frieda Li, Adam Watts and Roshun Wynne will all be making their final home appearance in the red and black. Help us celebrate their contributions to the Pioneer legacy as we honor them in two pre-game ceremonies.
