COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Cal State East Bay women's basketball team concluded a tough weekend in Colorado with an 85-80 overtime loss to Metro State on Saturday evening.
The Roadrunners erased a double-digit deficit in the second half before outlasting the Pioneers in the extra period to earn their first win of the season. East Bay drops to 2-2 following a pair of road defeats.
"We played well enough to win in spurts, but not when it counted the most -- in crunch time," said head coach
Suzy Barcomb. "It's early in the season, but I wanted us much further along in knowing how to play mistake-free basketball when the game is on the line."
Similar to their loss Friday night to Colorado-Colorado Springs, the Pioneers controlled the first half. They were hot in the first quarter, then went on a big run in the second quarter, shooting 58 percent and taking a 17-point lead into the break.
East Bay shot and rebounded better than Metro State in the first two frames, but the script flipped in the second half. The Roadrunners picked up their defensive intensity and chipped away at their deficit, out-scoring the Pioneers by 11 in the fourth quarter.
A three-pointer gave Metro State its first lead with 51 seconds left.
Tori Breshers scored in the paint on East Bay's final possession of the game to force overtime, but the comeback was complete.
The Pioneers never led in the overtime period, as Metro State went 5-for-8 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line to seal the victory.
"We had pretty impressive offensive performances by several players tonight," added Barcomb. "We just didn't have enough in the tank to get a stop or rebound when we most needed it."
Breshers scored 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting to lead the Pioneers. She's averaging 19.5 points per game through the first four contests, although this was her first time topping the 20-point mark.
Fellow senior
Shannon Bland had a season high with 19 points in 30 minutes. She went 7-for-13 from the field and pulled in six rebounds. Backcourt partner
Laci Effenberger also reached double figures, notching 15 points. She led East Bay with seven assists and 40 minutes played, and the senior went 4-for-11 from long distance.
Junior
Remy Puou posted five points and a team-leading eight rebounds. Senior
Madison Craig added nine points for the Pioneers, and junior
Katrina Bacovcin pulled in five boards off the bench. Junior
Ashleigh Anderson filled up the scoresheet with six points, four rebounds, and four assists in 29 minutes before fouling out.
East Bay finished the game shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range (8-for-20), and a season-high 84.2 percent from the free throw lines (16-for-19).
"We come away from this tournament with two heartbreaking loses and I hope some valuable lessons learned," Barcomb said.
The team is back home next weekend to host the Pioneer Thanksgiving Shootout on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27-28. After the holiday, East Bay takes on local rivals Notre Dame de Namur and Academy of Art in non-conference action.
