Friday, Feb. 1 - Play4Kay Night
vs. Sonoma State (5-11, 3-9 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym | Hayward
5:30 p.m.
Live stats

Saturday, Feb. 2 - Battle of the Bay
vs. San Francisco State (9-7, 6-6 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym | Hayward
5:30 p.m.
Live stats


HAYWARD, Calif. – The Pioneer women's basketball team begins the second half of CCAA play with two home games this week. East Bay will host Sonoma State on February 1 and San Francisco State on February 2.  Both games will begin at 5:30 p.m.     
                                                                                                       
The Pioneers couldn't overcome a 19-point halftime deficit in a 63-50 defeat to Sonoma State on Dec. 1.  

“It seems months ago we played Sonoma,” Pioneer Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said.  “We have changed as a team and so has Sonoma. They easily defeated us in the first round. They took us out of our offense and it was one of our worst defensive performances of the season. They shot lights out against us.” 

East Bay recorded a 46-38 road victory over San Francisco State on November 30.  

“It was a low scoring game, with both teams struggling to get points up,” Barcomb said. “We defended well at times but did not rebound well. Again, playing San Francisco State nearly 2 months ago, not much will be the same.”

After the first half of CCAA play, the Pioneers are in eighth place with a 4-7 record. East Bay is 6-9 for the season. The Pioneers played well over the weekend, defeating Cal State Stanislaus 53-35 and giving CCAA leader Chico State all it can handle before losing to the Wildcats 56-50.East Bay leads the CCAA in blocked shots with an average of three a game and, rank second in scoring defense (52.2ppg) and field goal percentage (34.4%). East Bay also ranks nationally in three defensive categories in Division II. The Pioneers rank fifth in field goal percentage.  Opponents are shooting 32.7 percent from the field. The Pioneers are 14th in scoring defense, holding their opponents to 53.1 points a game. East Bay is 40th in 3-point field goal defense (27.1%).

“With the first round complete, we know exactly where we stand, and we know exactly what must happen for us to reach our goals,” Barcomb said.  “The month of February will be a grind, but we've been through this before.”  It's not like we have only freshmen and sophomores on this team.  We know how to battle, we've done it before.  Now it's time to dig deep and players need to step up both offensively and defensively.”  

Tori Breshers, is the Pioneers leading scorer with an 8.4 point per game average. Breshers, who continues to top the CCAA with 1.2 blocks a game, is second on the Pioneers in rebounds (5.0rpg).  In 15 games, Breshers has a team-best 21 steals. Brianna Terrance, averaging 8.2 points a game. Terrance has a team-best 8.2 points per game in CCAA play. Micah Walker, is averaging 8.1 points per game.  Walker, who has a season-high 16 points against Cal State Dominguez Hills, tops the Pioneers in free throw percentage (78.5%). Lauren Lucchesi, who came off the bench against Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State over the weekend to score a team-high 19 points, is averaging 7.9 points per game. Marlene MacMillan, averaging 7.9 points a game, is the seventh leading rebounder in the CCAA (7.5rpg). 

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Fans are encouraged to wear their pink for Friday's matchup with Sonoma State, when the Pioneers will hold their annual Play4Kay Night supporting the WBCA's Kay Yow Cancer Fund which raises funds for breast cancer research. Saturday, East Bay is set to celebrate the second half of this season's Battle of the Bay series with San Francisco State. The Pioneers and Gators will meet for the eighth time since East Bay joined the CCAA.

ABOUT SONOMA STATE 
Sonoma State is 11th in the CCAA with a record of 3-9. The Seawolves are 5-11 for the season. Sonoma State has lost seven of its last eight games. Taylor Vigil leads the Seawolves in scoring with an 8.3 point per game average. Travis Newman, Bronte Sheahan and Elizabeth are all averaging 7.1 points per game for the season. Day is averaging a team-best 6.1 rebounds a game.
                                                                                                                                                              
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO STATE                                                                                                                                             
San Francisco State stands in sixth place in the CCAA with a 6-6 record. The Gators are 9-7 for the season. Since losing to the Pioneers, San Francisco State has posted a 7-4 record. Leading the Gators in scoring is Angela Van Sickel averaging 12.4 points per game.  The Gators have two other players averaging in double figures for the season, Farrah Shokoor (11.9ppg) and Nicole Hicks (10.8 ppg).  Shokoor leads the Gators in rebounds (7.9rpg), steals (56) and blocked shots (11).

“It is our intent to build upon the positives from each CCAA weekend and improve upon the things we did not do well,” Barcomb said.  “We continue to play well in spurts or small stretches but right now we still are losing our focus at crucial plays in the game. Teams in the CCAA are too good to miss a defensive assignment.”

The Pioneers will continue their four-game homestand next week when they play host Cal State Dominguez Hills during Cal State East Bay's Homecoming Week celebrations.