Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. - Cal State East Bay women's basketball team put a four-game losing streak to an end with a  66-54 victory over Humboldt State on Friday night.

With the win, the Pioneers improve to 2-4 in the CCAA and 4-6 overall. Humboldt State falls to 3-4 in CCAA play and 7-6 for the season.

The Pioneer defense, ranked nationally in the top 25 in three different defensive categories, held the Lumberjacks to a 32 shooting percentage from the field while forcing 27 turnovers. East Bay had six blocked shots and 14 steals.

“It was nice to finally play at home and have fans in the stands,” Pioneer Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said.  “We had our ups and downs throughout the game but scoring consistency helped us weather our defensive lapses.”

Brianna Terrance poured in a season-high 19 points to lead the Pioneers in scoring. Meaghan Cichoke and Sarah Finlay each scored 11 points.  Tori Breshers started her first game of the season and contributed to the Pioneer victory with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots, and four steals. Marlene MacMillan, who scored nine points, led the Pioneers on the boards with a season-best 12 rebounds.

“Brianna had a terrific game working down low and Mac was a force on the boards tonight,” Barcomb said. “Key baskets late in the game, two by Tori and one by Bri helped keep our lead. I put a great deal of pressure on our point guards to know what we are running, the game plan, and the proper execution.  It's not easy, but Meg and Sarah were not only able to score for us tonight, but they also valued the basketball.”

The Lumberjacks' Lisa Petty led all scorers with 27 points. Jain Tuey and Elle Anderson each chipped in with eight points. “Lisa Petty nearly single-handedly brought Humboldt back,” Barcomb said.  “She never quit in tonight's game.”

A tenacious Pioneer defense forced four Lumberjack turnovers as East Bay grabbed a 6-3 lead with 14:07 remaining. The Pioneers went on a 10-3 run the following four minutes, aided by Terrance and  Finlay scoring four points each, to increase their lead to 16-6. East Bay enjoyed its biggest lead of the first half, 22-6 with 7:14 left.

Petty converted a three-pointer and added a basket as the Lumberjacks cut the Pioneers advantage to 22-14 with 5:18 remaining.

The Pioneers maintained a 29-14 advantage with 2:38 left on a three- pointer by Cichoke.
Micah Walker hit a pair of free throws as the Pioneers took a 31-17 halftime lead.  East Bay held Humboldt State to a 20.8 shooting percentage from the field and forced 17 Lumberjack turnovers.

Humboldt State opened the second half with a 13-8 run to trim the Pioneers lead to 39-30 with 15:00 minutes left. Petty led the Lumberjack with nine points including a pair of three-pointers. Another three-pointer by Petty a minute later, cut the Pioneer advantage to six points.

Cichoke hit a three-pointer, while Terrance converted a basket giving East Bay a 51-41 advantage with 9:46 left. The Pioneers secured the victory with 2:06 remaining on Cichoke's third 3-pointer of the game.

“We changed our starting line-up to see if we could try and create some mismatches, earn an edge on the glass, and score some inside points,” Barcomb said.  “We knew we were big and it would challenge us in the ball-handling area.” 

The Pioneers will host Cal Poly Pomona on January 12 at 5:30 p.m.