Box Score SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. –The Pioneer women's basketball team held off Cal State San Bernardino, 42-39 for their ninth straight win on Saturday night.
East Bay, which earlier clinched a berth in the CCAA Playoffs, holds the fourth spot in the conference with a 13-7 season. The Pioneers improve to 15-9 for the season. Cal State San Bernardino, a winner over third Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday night, is 9-11 in the CCAA and 11-13 overall.
Once again, the Pioneers did it with their defense, holding the Coyotes to 39 points and a 25.5 percent shooting percent from the field. East Bay enjoyed a 42-35 advantage on the boards.
“We couldn't score so we relied on our defense once again,” Pioneer Head Coach
Suzy Barcomb said. “It's out trademark. We are finding ways to win and keep our focus on our team goals.”
Tori Breshers came off the bench to lead the Pioneers in scoring with 11 points on 5 of 9 from the floor. Breshers added six rebounds.
Micah Walker and
Nia Bravo each scored eight points.
Brianna Terrance led the Pioneers on the boards with eight rebounds.
“We escaped with the win,” Barcomb said. “Thank goodness our bench really stepped up tonight. Tori was instrumental in getting this win for us tonight, including blocking the last shot of the game.”
East Bay held a 30-23 lead with 14:22 remaining in the second half. Five minutes later, the Coyotes cut the deficit to 34-31.
Walker converted a free throw with 2:43 left as the Pioneers maintained a 40-34 advantage.
Eliza Dy hit a three-pointer and Alexcia Mack made two free throws with eight seconds remaining to narrow the Pioneers lead to 40-39.
Sarah Finlay was fouled and converted two free throws to give the Pioneers a 42-39 advantage with eight seconds left. Breshers blocked a Mack three-point attempt at the buzzer to preserve the Pioneer victory.
“This was another challenge we faced and hope to grow from,” Barcomb said. “By no means was this a well- played game, we had to grind out possession after possession and it came down to the last play of the game.”
Walker hit a three-pointer to give the Pioneers a 5-3 lead with 15:12 left in the first half. East Bay built a 12-5 advantage with 11:38 remaining on a Bravo three-pointer. The Pioneers maintained a 16-9 lead with 8:21 left.
Trinidee Trice made a jumper with 4:31 remaining to trim the Pioneers lead to 18-17.
Finlay's layup with 20 seconds left gave the Pioneers a 25-19 advantage going into halftime.
The Pioneers will close out the regular season next week with a pair of home games against Chico State on February 28 and Cal State Stanislaus on March 1.
