MONMOUTH, Ore. – Cal State East Bay women's basketball will officially open its season on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Hampton Inn & Suites D2 Shootout against Saint Martin's. Head Coach Suzy Barcomb will face the host Wolves on Saturday, Nov. 15, and reunite on opposing sides with former East Bay coaching staff member Holli Howard-Carpenter.

"Holli and I had a good run together at East Bay. She helped with the rebuilding of our basketball program," praised Barcomb. "She was extremely excited about being named head coach at WOU (in 2013) and I was very happy for her. I knew it was a great fit and she would do very well running her own program."
 
Barcomb and Carpenter inherited a team coming off a 2-25 campaign in 2009-10. Two years later the Pioneers finished 12-17 and qualified for the California Collegiate Athletic Association postseason tournament for the first time in program history.
 
Saturday will mark the first time Barcomb has faced a former member of her coaching staff. She spent 12 years with NCAA Division III Puget Sound (1998-2010) and enters her fifth season in Hayward with the Pioneers (2010-Present).
 
"I've coached against dear friends throughout my career and always found it challenging. I would much prefer to cheer on Holli throughout her season and talk X's and O's when we are not facing each other," added Barcomb. "It will be odd to coach against (Holli)."
 
That meeting will cap off the team's weekend schedule after facing Saint Martin's (Wash.) on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. The last time these squads battled was in Barcomb's second contest as coach of the Pioneers. The Saints strong first half led to a 70-59 result in favor of SMU.
 
Both CSUEB and Saint Martin's will open their respective seasons against each other on Friday. The Saints are coming off an 18-11 season and a second round appearance in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.