Friday, Feb. 10 - Battle of the Bay
vs. San Francisco State (7-15, 6-10 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym - Hayward
5:30 p.m
Live stats
Saturday, Feb. 11 - Homecoming 2012
vs. Cal Poly Pomona (15-5, 11-5 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym - Hayward
5:30 p.m.
Live stats
HAYWARD, Calif. – With only seven games left in the regular season and just one game separating seventh and 10th place in the CCAA standings, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team enters its
Homecoming Week matchups on a mission. The Pioneers (8-13, 5-10 CCAA) are riding a two-game win streak entering this weekend's meetings with San Francisco State and Cal Poly Pomona. East Bay is set to take on the Gators in the second installment of the Battle of the Bay on Friday before welcoming the 22nd-ranked Broncos on Saturday for Homecoming, with both games scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip at Pioneer Gym.
Cal State East Bay has won three of its last five games, including its first weekend sweep of the season last week on the road against Humboldt State and Sonoma State. The Pioneers will be looking to continue that success as they return home just one win shy of the three-way tie for seventh place that includes SF State, Sonoma State and Cal State San Bernardino. With only the top eight teams reaching the CCAA Tournament, East Bay is currently on the outside looking in, but will face off against six of the teams sitting above it in the league standings over the final seven games.
The Pioneers remain one of the top defenses in the CCAA, allowing the opposition only 59 points per game and holding opponents to 38.3 percent shooting to rank third and fifth, respectively, in the league. East Bay is also getting the job done on the glass, leading the conference in rebounding defense, allowing opponents just 33.5 boards per game, while grabbing 37.3 rebounds of its own, giving it the second-best rebounding margin in the CCAA at +3.9. 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.
Juniors
Marlene MacMillan and
Lauren Lucchesi lead the Pioneers with 8.6 points per game apiece, while
Brianna Terrance is adding 8.4 points per contest and
Micah Walker is chipping in 7.9. MacMillan and Terrance have been on fire of late, with Terrance leading the team in scoring in each of the last four games and MacMillan averaging 11.2 rebounds and 12.4 points during her last five contests. Terrance has been key coming off the bench, scoring in double figures in each of the last seven games and nine of the last 10. During CCAA play, MacMillan is the third-best rebounder in the league, pulling down 9.2 boards per game, while Terrance is hitting 53.2 percent of her shots from the field in league games to rank fourth in the conference.
Gauging the Gators
San Francisco State comes into the weekend with a 7-15 overall record and a 6-10 mark in CCAA play, putting them in a three-way tie for seventh place in the league. The Gators have won three of their last five games and are fourth in the CCAA in rebounding and third in blocked shots. SF State is led by Nicole Hicks' 13.3 points per contest, which ranks seventh in the conference, while Farrah Shokoor and Lauren Varney lead the rebounding efforts, averaging 7.5 and 6.7 boards per game, respectively. The pair has also combined to post 39 blocked shots on the year. In their first meeting with the Pioneers this season, the Gators managed just 39 points, falling to East Bay 64-39 and handing CSUEB its second conference win of the campaign on Jan. 7 in San Francisco.
Catching Up On Cal Poly Pomona
The Broncos come into the week ranked 22nd in the WBCA Division II Top 25 Poll and are riding a three-game win streak going into their Friday meeting with Cal State Monterey Bay. Cal Poly Pomona is 15-5 overall and 11-5 in conference play and sits in a tie for third in the CCAA with Cal State LA. The Broncos have gone 8-2 on the road this season and rank among the top four in the league in nine statistical categories, including scoring defense and three-point shooting. The Broncos are allowing opponents just 58.2 points per game to rank second in the CCAA, while averaging 66.4 points per contest and shooting 35.3 percent from three-point range. Megan Ford and Sarah Semenero are leading the Bronco offense, averaging 14.2 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. Ford is also Cal Poly Pomona's top rebounder, pulling in 9.7 boards per game to lead the conference. Last time the two teams met, the Broncos picked up a 70-51 victory in Pomona on Jan. 5, led by Ford's 18-point, 16-board double-double.
Looking Ahead
Cal State East Bay will take a Valentine's Day trip to meet travel partner Cal State Monterey Bay on Tuesday 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. Following Senior Day, East Bay will hit the road for the final week of the campaign, meeting Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State to cap the 2011-12 regular season.
Battle of the Bay
Cheer on the Pioneers in the Battle of the Bay against San Francisco State! Students wearing red can enter to win great prizes like the chance to shoot for a $250 gift card and more! Fans can also purchase gently used athletics gear, including bags, jerseys and more, at the Pioneer Garage Sale in the gym lobby.
Alumni Game
Come out on Saturday to cheer on all your favorite former Pioneers in our women's basketball Alumni Game that will be part of our Homecoming Celebration. Pioneer legends will meet to see who's still got game on Saturday at Pioneer Gym at 12 p.m.
Homecoming 2012
Join us for the premier event of
Homecoming Week and celebrate Pioneer Pride and the 50th anniversary of Pioneer Athletics! The school's first intercollegiate team – the 1961-62 Pioneer men's basketball team – will be honored. In addition, the 2012 Homecoming Court will be introduced.
