Thursday, Feb. 23
vs. Cal State Stanislaus (6-18, 3-17 CCAA)
Fitzpatrick Arena - Turlock
5:30 p.m.
Live stats
Friday, Feb. 24
vs. Chico State (15-9, 12-8 CCAA)
Acker Gym - Chico
5:30 p.m.
Live stats
HAYWARD, Calif. – Still in the playoff hunt, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team enters the final two games of the regular season in eighth place in the conference and looking to secure the final CCAA Tournament berth when it hits the road to take on Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State this weekend. The Pioneers (11-15, 8-12 CCAA) will need one win to secure the eighth and final spot and are set to take on the Warriors on Thursday before capping the regular season on Friday against the Wildcats, with both games scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
Following a Sonoma State win over Cal State San Bernardino on Wednesday night, East Bay needs just one victory this week to claim the eighth spot in the tournament. With two victories and a Sonoma State loss to UC San Diego on Friday, the Pioneers will avoid the eighth seed and the first-round matchup with the No. 1 seeded Tritons. A split and a Sonoma State win on Friday will tie the two teams for seventh, with the Seawolves holding the tiebreaker. Two losses this week will either put East Bay in a tie for eighth with a Coyotes loss to Humboldt State or out of the tournament with a CSUSB win on Friday.
The Pioneers come into the final week of the regular season with one of the top defenses in the conference, allowing opponents just 58.7 points per game to rank fourth in the CCAA. The opposition is also shooting 38.1 percent from the field against East Bay, a figure that ranks fifth in the league. In addition, East Bay leads the conference in rebounding defense, giving up just 33.6 boards per game and out-rebounding opponents by 3.7 rebounds per contest. The Pioneers have won five of their last seven games and have shot better than 35 percent from the field in eight of the last 10 contests, including hitting half of their shots from the floor in a win over Cal State San Bernardino last week.
Micah Walker,
Marlene MacMillan and
Brianna Terrance are leading the Pioneers in scoring, averaging 9.0, 8.9 and 8.5 points per game, respectively. The trio has been on fire of late, with Walker scoring in double figures in each of the last three games, including a career-high 23 points last week against UCSD. Meanwhile MacMillan has scored 10 or more points in seven of the last 10 games and has double-digit boards in eight of those contests, while Terrance is averaging nearly 11 points per game during the second half of the campaign.
Watching the Warriors
Cal State Stanislaus comes into the last week of the season with a 6-18 overall record and a 3-17 mark in CCAA play. The Warriors have been eliminated from CCAA Tournament contention but will have a chance for redemption and to play spoiler against the Pioneers on Thursday. Stanislaus is led by Jameiz Terrell's 11 points per game, while Erin Godde is just behind her, averaging 10.9 points per contest. Godde also leads the CCAA in rebounding, posting 10 boards per game. In their first meeting with Cal State East Bay this season, the Warriors fell to the Pioneers 67-59 on Jan. 21. East Bay was led by
Marlene MacMillan's career-high 25 points, while Stanislaus was paced by Godde's 17 points.
Checking Out Chico State
The Wildcats are 15-9 overall and 12-8 in conference play and come into the weekend in sixth place in the CCAA standings. Chico State brings the third-best scoring offense in the league into the final week of the regular season, averaging 67.6 points per game, and leads the conference in free-throw percentage hitting 77.6 percent of its foul shots. The Wildcats also boast the third-best field goal percentage in the CCAA and have the second-highest assists per game average in the league. Synchro Bull is pacing the Wildcats with 13.9 points per contest to rank sixth in the CCAA, while Jazmine Miller is posting 10.4 points per game. Bull is also leading Chico State with 5.8 boards and nearly three assists per game. The last time the Wildcats and Pioneers met, Chico pulled out a 60-51 come-from-behind victory over East Bay, led by Bull's 16 points and eight rebounds.
CCAA Tournament
Should the Pioneers secure the eighth and final spot in the CCAA Tournament, the first round will be held at the campus sites of the top four seeds on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The semifinals and final of the tournament are being hosted by UC San Diego and are slated for Mar. 2 and 3 at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla.
