Box Score CHICO, Calif. – Though the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team dropped a 74-59 decision to Chico State, it grabbed the only remaining CCAA Tournament bid thanks to Humboldt State's win over Cal State San Bernardino on Friday night. The Pioneers (12-16, 9-13 CCAA) became the first Cal State East Bay team to reach the CCAA playoffs in the school's first year of eligibility for the postseason since completing the transition to NCAA Division II. 

“We wanted to earn our spot in the tournament,” Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said. “It looks as though we are coming in the back door, but we have had some big wins during the second half of CCAA play to get us in the hunt for this tournament bid.”

Lauren Lucchesi and Marlene MacMillan led the Pioneers with 15 points apiece, with MacMillan adding seven rebounds and Lucchesi blocking four shots. Sophomore Brianna Terrance joined the pair in double figures with 14 points and six boards off the bench for East Bay, getting 30 minutes of playing time due to an injury to Cassie Coble. Micah Walker added eight points for the Pioneers, while Nia Bravo grabbed six rebounds.

“We lost a lot of fight and heart when Cassie went down with an injury,” Barcomb said. “We have had no luck at all in terms of injuries.”

Chico State was paced by Jazmine Miller's 16 points, while Crystal Sewell posted nine points and seven rebounds to lead the Wildcats on the boards. A trio of players chipped in with eight points apiece and helped Chico shoot 47.5 percent from the field, including a 9-for-21 performance from beyond the arc. The Wildcats held a 36-37 advantage on the boards and finished shooting 70 percent in their 10 trips to the free-throw line.

The Pioneers shot 37.7 percent from the field and went just 4-for-17 from long range, but converted on nine of their 11 trips to the charity stripe. The Wildcats out-scored East Bay 31-15 off of the Pioneers' 21 turnovers and held a 36-28 advantage in scoring in the paint.

“Chico outplayed us in every aspect of the game tonight,” Barcomb said. “This team has never played in such an important game. We were not present and we didn't execute.”

Chico State opened the game with 11 unanswered points to jump out to an early double-digit lead. Though East Bay cut the lead down to seven with back-to-back baskets from Frieda Li and MacMillan, the Wildcats were undeterred, regaining an 11-point lead, 15-4, at the 11:04 mark and never leading by fewer than 10 for the remainder of the half. The Pioneers pulled back to within 10 twice in the next four minutes but could not get any closer, hitting just 10 shots from the field in the first frame and shooting just 32.3 percent. Meanwhile, Chico State took advantage of East Bay's offensive struggles and 13 turnovers, pushing the lead to as many as 26 during the first half. The Wildcats finished the half shooting 69.2 percent from the field and took a 46-24 lead into the break.

The second half saw more of the same from both teams, though the Pioneers out-shot the Wildcats from the floor, Chico led by as many as 28 points during the second frame. On the other end, the Pioneers managed to improve to 43.3 percent shooting from the field but could not overcome the major halftime deficit. East Bay did manage to pull within 19 midway through the half before heating up with a 13-0 run over the final six minutes to cut the final advantage to 15. The run saw MacMillan score seven points but the push was too little, too late against the hot-shooting Wildcats.

The defeat, combined with Sonoma State and Cal State San Bernardino losses on Friday left East Bay tied for seventh with the Seawolves. The Pioneers hold the tiebreaker with Sonoma State thanks to their win over No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona. As a result, East Bay should be announced as the No. 7 seed and is tentatively set to face No. 2 seed Cal State Monterey Bay in the first round of the CCAA Tournament on Tuesday in Seaside.

“We've accomplished a great deal this season,” Barcomb said. “I just hope we can shake this ugly loss and regroup. We've played too well to revert back to our old bad habits.”

The official CCAA Tournament field and seeding announcement is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday.