HAYWARD, Calif. -- For the third straight season, Cal State East Bay women's basketball has a 20-win season and a berth in the semifinals of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament.

The No. 2 seeded Pioneers defeated No. 7 Chico State by a final score of 68-55 on Tuesday evening in front of a big crowd at Pioneer Gym to advance out of the first round of the CCAA bracket.

CSUEB has now won seven straight and 12 of its last 13 games. The squad is 20-8 for the season and heads to San Marcos as the hottest team in the conference. 

The win was the Pioneers' second over Chico State in the span of five days. They outlasted the Wildcats 58-50 last Friday in the penultimate game of the regular season, which was also played at home. Tonight's contest wasn't quite as close as the last one, but Chico managed to keep the score tight enough that it always felt like they were in striking range. 

Ultimately, East Bay controlled the game from start to finish. They out-shot the Wildcats 55 percent to 37 percent from the field, out-rebounded them 37 to 18, and held the lead for the final 38 minutes of play. 

CSUEB's advantage was eight at halftime and just five after the third quarter. But they finished the game impressively, out-scoring the visitors 22-13 in the final period. Shomari Harris, the CCAA's leading scorer, notched 16 of her game-high 20 points in the second half and lifted the Pioneers to victory with several crucial buckets in the final minutes. 

Not to be outdone, freshman Morgan Greene pulled in as many rebounds as the entire Chico State team. She grabbed 18 boards, surpassing her career high of 17 that she set just three days ago. She is now averaging double-digit rebounds for the season with a CCAA-best mark of 10.4 rpg. Greene also scored 12 points on 6-for-7 from the field in Tuesday's win.

Senior Remy Puou reached double figures as well with 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting performance, and she blocked two shots despite playing limited minutes due to foul trouble.

Freshman Kincso Kelemen had one of the best games of her young career and was red hot from long distance in the corner. The native of Romania tallied 12 points and went 4-for-5 on three-pointers, including a couple huge shots to preserve the lead down the stretch.

Elayshia Woolridge added five points in 17 minutes. Senior Shontalene Trudeau, as she usually does, gave the Pioneers valuable bench minutes with two points, three rebounds, and four assists.

CSUEB will now look to win its second straight tournament title and claim an automatic berth to the eight-team NCAA Division II Regional field. The Pioneers, who were ranked No. 8 in the West last week, will have a better idea of their at-large chances when this week's rankings are released Wednesday afternoon.

But their primary focus will be on their semifinal matchup with No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona, which is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. on Friday Mar. 3 at Cal State San Marcos. The Pioneers and Broncos split their two games this season, which both squads winning at home. This time a trip to the championship game will be on the line. 

When last season ended with a 27-5 record and a loss to UCSD at the NCAA DII West Regionals in Azusa, I wrote that the 2015-16 Pioneers would be the standard by which all future East Bay teams are measured. That still holds true, and the offensive efficiency and remarkably disciplined team defense displayed last year will not easily be matched. But the hurdles that first-year head coach Shanele Stires and this young Pioneer roster have overcome, in addition the growth they've shown on the court over the last four months, have made for another truly special season. 

The 2016-17 team has already far surpassed any reasonable expectations that could have been placed on it, and now the Pioneers are in the position that every team dreams of during long, grueling October practices. They'll fly south to San Marcos, attend the CCAA Awards Banquet on Thursday night, and then get to work chasing a second straight championship ring.