SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay women's basketball team closed out its preseason schedule in impressive fashion on Sunday afternoon, taking Division I Sacramento State down to the wire. The Pioneers fell 85-78 in a fast-paced, high-scoring contest at The Hornets Nest.

East Bay came out hot, managed to handle the Hornets' press, and held a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Sac State bounced back in the second, opening the period on an 8-0 run and taking advantage of numerous turnovers to out-score the Pioneers 35-12 in the frame. 

The home team stretched its lead out to 17 at the end of the third quarter, but the Pioneers didn't lie down. They finished the game on a 22-10 run to cut their deficit back to single digits, and made the Hornets work in the final minutes to secure the victory.

"Credit to our team for not hanging their heads and folding," said head coach Suzy Barcomb. "We truly battled back in the fourth quarter. We also did a fantastic job on the glass."

The Pioneers finished with outstanding shooting numbers for the game, hitting at 49.2 percent from the floor (30-for-61) and 40 percent from long distance (6-for-15), besting Sac State in both categories. They also dominated on the boards, out-rebounding the Hornets 53 to 33. 

Sac State ultimately hung on by winning the turnover battle. They racked up 21 steals and forced 31 Pioneer turnovers, which led to 35 Hornet points. 

"At times I thought we were involved in a track meet, and we most definitely were losing the race," Barcomb said. "Clearly Sac State likes to speed you up and play at a fast pace. We turned it over against the press and were just too casual with some of our passes."

Five players reached double figures for CSUEB, led by Ashleigh Anderson with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting in just 20 minutes off the bench.
"Ashleigh provided a big boost off the bench in terms of scoring and great help-side defense," added Barcomb.

Laci Effenberger and Remy Puou both scored 14 points, with Effenberger knocked down three long balls and adding five assists. 

Bianca Littleton notched 13 points and five boards. Fellow senior Shannon Bland grabbed seven rebounds and posted team highs with six assists and three steals. She also scored 12 points, going 4-for-8 from the field.

Senior newcomer Madison Craig made just two of her seven shots, but she was extremely active on the glass, leading the team with nine rebounds. Katrina Bacovcin pulled in six boards in just 12 minutes off the bench.

"This is another opportunity to grow," Barcomb noted. "We will look at the film and prepare ourselves for the season opener."

East Bay begins the regular season at home next weekend when they host a four-team CCAA/GNAC Conference Challenge on Nov. 13 and 14 at Pioneer Gym. The Pioneers play at 4 p.m. both days of the tournament.