Thursday, Feb. 28
vs. Chico State (20-4, 16-4 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym/Hayward
5:30 p.m.
Live stats

Friday, March 1 (Senior Night)
vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-23, 1-19 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym/Hayward
5:30 p.m.
Live stats

HAYWARD, Calif. – The CCAA playoff-bound Pioneer women's basketball team will conclude the regular season with a pair of home games this week. East Bay, currently on a nine-game winning streak, will take on CCAA co-leader Chico State on February 28. The Pioneers conclude the regular season on March 1 against Cal State Stanislaus. The March 1 game will be “Senior Night”. Both games will begin at 5:30 p.m. East Bay lost to Chico State 56-50 and defeated Cal State Stanislaus 53-35 in January.

The Pioneers are in sole possession of fourth place in the CCAA with a 13-7 record. East Bay is one game behind Cal State Monterey Bay for third place in the conference. The Pioneers are one game up on fifth place Cal State L.A. and two games ahead of sixth place Cal Poly Pomona. East Bay is 15-9 for the season. The Pioneers are 9-1 in their last 10 games. East Bay extended its winning streak to nine games by defeating CCAA co-leader UC San Diego 59-44 and Cal State San Bernardino 42-39 over the weekend.

“We are happy to be playing at home for our final two regular season games,” Pioneer Head Coach Suzy Barcomb said.  “We continue to keep our focus on one game at a time and not to worry about what else is happening in league.  We are coming off of two long road trips and this is a short turn-around for us.  We need to re-energize and play two well-rounded games.”

FREE MARCH MADNESS BASKETBALL TEE-SHIRTS
Pioneer Athletics, in partnership with the Pioneer Newspaper, will sponsor the March Madness Basketball Tee-Shirt Giveaway for the Pioneer women's and men's basketball games on February 28. The first 100 Cal State East Bay Students to present a copy from the March Madness Ad in Thursday's Pioneer Newspaper, will receive a FREE March Madness Basketball Tee-shirt.

PIONEERS TO HONOR THEIR SENIORS
Prior to Friday's finale, the Pioneers will honor seniors Nia Bravo, Lauren Lucchesi and Marlene MacMillan for their outstanding contributions to the East Bay women's basketball program. Bravo, Lucchesi and MacMillan are all four-year seniors.

ABOUT THE NINE-GAME WINNING STREAK
The Pioneers have scored 55.3 points while allowing 44.8 points a contest. East Bay has held the opposition to under 50 points in seven of the victories, and under 40 in two contests. From the free throw line, the Pioneers have converted 97 of 156 compared to 64 of 113 for their opponents. The Pioneers have held their opponents to 33.2 shooting percentage from the field and 27.3% from the three-point area. East Bay has outrebounded the opposition by a 36.6-32.1 margin. The Pioneers have forced 159 turnovers, an average of 15.4 per game. East Bay has come up with 82 steals, an average of 9.1 a contest. The Pioneers have 96 assists compared to 73 for their opponents. Brianna Terrance, named CCAA Player of the Week for her outstanding play against Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State, has been the Pioneers leading scorer during the nine-game winning streak with a 10.6 point per game average. Micah Walker is netting 8.3 points per game, while Sarah Finlay is averaging 8.1 points and has a team-high 22 assists.  Lucchesi is netting seven points a game. MacMillan is averaging a team-high 7.9 rebounds, and is tied for team honors with 16 steals during the nine-game winning streak.

DOING IT WITH DEFENSE
In the latest NCAA II statistics as of February 25, the Pioneers are second in scoring defense (50.0 ppg) and sixth in field goal percentage defense (32.9%). East Bay leads the CCAA in scoring defense (48.8 ppg) and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (33.9%).

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Terrance continues to lead the Pioneers in scoring for the season (9.1ppg) and in CCAA play (9.3ppg). In her last four games, Terrance has averaged 10.8 points, while shooting 55.1 percent from the field.   Walker is second behind Terrance in scoring with an 8.2 point per game average. She has averaged 8.8 points in her last six games. Lucchesi, who has averaged 9.3 points in her last six games, is third in scoring at 7.5 points per contest. MacMillan, averaging 7.3 points a game, is the fourth leading rebounder in the CCAA (7.7rpg). Finlay is the fifth leading scorer for the Pioneers with a 6.8 point per game average. Rachel Finnegan is averaging 4.3 rebounds, and has 35 assists and 35 steals. Tori Breshers, with a big blocked shot at the buzzer to preserve a Pioneer victory over Cal State San Bernardino last Saturday, has a team-high 24 blocks.

ABOUT CHICO STATE
The Wildcats are tied with UC San Diego for top honors in the CCAA with a 16-4 record. Chico State is 20-4 for the season. The Wildcats were on a six-game losing streak, before losing two of their last three games. Chico State, averaging 67.7 points a game, leads the CCAA in scoring offense. Monnie Davidson-Mays is averaging 10.5 points per game. Jazmine Miller leads the Wildcats in scoring with a 12.5 point per game average. McKenzie Dalthorp and Hannah Womack are averaging 9.7 and 9.1 points a game respectively. Analise Riezebos is the Wildcats leading rebounder at 6.5rpg.

“Chico State is a very talented team with outstanding guard play,” Barcomb said. “They play a physical, up tempo style and can score in a variety of ways. They defend aggressively and rebound well. It's a tough match-up for us.”

ABOUT CAL STATE STANISLAUS
The Warriors are 1-19 in the CCAA. Cal State Stanislaus is 2-23 overall. Leading the Warriors in scoring is Lauren Godde, averaging 15.7 points per game. Godde is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game. Briana Cotton and Devin Brown have been productive offensively for the Warriors averaging 10 and 9.3 points per game respectively. Erin Godde tops the Warriors with 7.5 rebounds a game and 16 blocked shots.

“This game will conclude the regular season and we will be honoring our seniors,” Barcomb said. "We didn't play particularly well offensively in the first meeting, but we defended and that allowed us to earn the win.” 

Following this week, the Pioneers will be competing in the CCAA Playoffs beginning on March 5.