HAYWARD, Calif. -- Following the completion of final exams, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team will take a break from its conference schedule this week and travel south to take on the No. 10 ranked team in the nation in California Baptist. The Pioneers and Lancers tip off at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 10.

WEEK IN REVIEW
East Bay is coming off an extremely satisfying weekend to open California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) competition, picking up road victories over Cal State Monterey Bay and SF State on back-to-back nights. The defending conference champion Pioneers have now won 13 straight CCAA regular seasons games dating back to last year. 

On Friday, the Pioneers rallied back from an early deficit against the Otters, out-scored them 26-10 in the second quarter, and held on down the stretch for a 68-62 win. CSUEB shot 50 percent as a team, led by guards Shomari Harris (21 points, five assists, four steals, 9-16 FG) and Elayshia Woolridge (12 points, 6-9 FG).

The following night, East Bay overcame a poor first-half shooting performance and erased a seven-point deficit in the fourth. Harris poured in 20 points and grabbed six rebounds, and she carried the Pioneers down the stretch, knocking down a three-pointer with 23 seconds left to give East Bay the lead, then hitting both free throws with five seconds left to seal the win. Remy Puou notched 10 points on a flawless shooting night, and fellow senior Shontalene Trudeau pulled in a season-high nine rebounds. 

CLIMBING THE RANKS
The Pioneers have opened the 2016-17 season with five wins in their first eight games thanks to strong defense and efficient offense. They rank second in the CCAA in scoring defense, allowing 59.0 points per game, and they're second in rebound margin at +6.6 boards per game. 

Offensively, East Bay is second in the conference in shooting percentage (.425). They're solid from beyond the three-point arc as well (.353), and they're out-scoring opponents by 4.0 points per game overall. 

HARRIS HEATING UP
Harris somehow missed out on the CCAA's Player of the Week award after topping 20 points in both games last weekend and carrying the Pioneers to a pair of victories. Nonetheless, the senior transfer from Texas A&M-Commerce has been one of the top players in the league this year. She's tied for the CCAA lead in scoring (17.0 ppg), while ranking second in minutes (35.3 mpg), fifth in assists (4.0 apg), and fifth in shooting percentage (.451).

A LOOK AT THE LANCERS
California Baptist is coming off a 28-3 season in 2015-16 that ended with a loss to Alaska Anchorage in the semifinals of the NCAA West Regionals. The Lancers are 9-2 to begin 2016-17 and hold the No. 10 ranking in the nation according to the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll. CBU is shooting 46.4 percent as a team and out-scoring opponents by an average of 11.5 points per game. They have four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by 2015-16 All-American Cassidy Mihalko (19.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 54.9 FG%).

The Lancers have battled six CCAA teams this season in non-conference play, defeating Cal State San Marcos, Cal State San Bernardino, Humboldt State, Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Cal State L.A., and falling 82-74 to UC San Diego. Cal State East Bay and Cal Baptist have not met since 1997, when the Pioneers were known as Cal State Hayward and both programs competed in the NAIA.