SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- For the third straight season, Cal State East Bay women's basketball will finish among the top four teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). But this Pioneer squad has its sights set much higher heading into this weekend's CCAA Tournament semifinals at Cal State San Marcos's new Sports Center.

CSUEB heads south as the defending CCAA Tournament champions, although just one member of the 2016-17 team played significant minutes for the 2015-16 squad. Despite a brand new coaching staff and a young, revamped roster, the Pioneers have closed the season by winning seven in a row and 12 of their last 13 to notch the program's third consecutive 20-win season.

Standing between the Pioneers and their third straight trip to the CCAA title game is the No. 3 seeded Cal Poly Pomona Broncos. Their semifinal matchup is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. on Friday afternoon, immediately following the other semifinal game, which is No. 1 UC San Diego vs. No. 4 Stanislaus State.

FIRST ROUND RECAP
East Bay opened the CCAA Tournament at home with a first-round victory over Chico State, the team's second time hosting the Wildcats in the span of five days. The Wildcats kept it close most of the way, but the combination of Shomari Harris and CSUEB's formidable frontcourt was too much for Chico to handle, and the Pioneers pulled away late for a 68-55 win. 

Morgan Greene was a monster on the glass and pulled in as many rebounds (18) as the entire Wildcat team. Kincso Kelemen hit some crucial shots down the stretch, going 4-for-5 from long distance. She has been hot from beyond the arc lately, raising her team-best three-point percentage to .424 for the season. 

FINISHING STRONG
The Pioneers finished the season ranked second in the CCAA behind top-seeded UCSD in field goal percentage (.417) and scoring deferential (+4.6 ppg), and third in rebounding margin (+5.6 rpg). During the 13-game stretch in the latter half of the season when they posted a 12-1 record, those numbers become even more impressive. During that time, East Bay has shot 42.4 percent from the field and out-scored opponents by nine points per game. 

Individually, CSUEB had players near the top of nearly every statistical category in the CCAA. After posting 20 points and dishing out seven assists in the playoff game vs. Chico State, Harris enters the weekend as the CCAA's leading scorer (16.6 ppg). She also ranks second in the league in assists (4.3 apg), third in minutes (36.0), and fourth in free throw shooting (81.6 percent).

Remy Puou went for 21 points and 14 rebounds on Senior Night, and she averaged 12 points and eight rebounds on 54 percent shooting over the second half of the season. The four-year Pioneer enters the weekend ranked sixth in the CCAA in rebounding (76. rpg), and she's the team's second-leading scorer (10.4 ppg).

After redshirting during the team's championship run last year, Greene has made the most of her opportunity this season. She set career rebound highs in each of the last two games, tallying 17 on Senior Night and 18 in the first playoff game Tuesday night. That brought her season average into double figures at 10.1 rpg, which leads the conference. 

Regardless of how the tournament plays out, the Pioneers will have to beat two really good teams in order to capture their second straight title. But they enter the weekend as the hottest team in the CCAA and are led by the best offensive player (Harris) and the best rebounder (Greene) in the conference. It will simply be a matter of whether the Pioneers can continue to execute at a high level offensively and defensively when the bright lights are on them.

BRONCO BREAKDOWN
The Broncos have been nearly as hot as the Pioneers, winning seven of their last eight games to close the regular season. They're shooting just 39.7 percent from the field, but they lead the CCAA in scoring defense (57.0 ppg allowed). They are also the top three-point shooting team (.338) and the top rebounding team (+8.6 rpg) in the conference. The Broncos are led by a dynamic frontcourt duo in Chelsea Waddy-Blow (12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 53.1% FG) and Priscilla Brooks (9.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 49.1% FG).

Cal State East Bay has a 6-3 record against Cal Poly Pomona head-to-head over the last four seasons. The teams have met once previously in the CCAA Tournament, with East Bay prevailing 75-70 in the first round of the 2014-15 postseason. This season, the Pioneers and Broncos split their two match-ups, with each team winning at home. The Broncos have lost just once since CSUEB beat them 65-56 on Jan. 31 in Hayward. Harris racked up 26 points and nine rebounds in that game and tied the school record with seven three-point field goals.