Game Highlights

HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay women's basketball wound up on the losing end of a dramatic and extremely tight non-conference game Wednesday evening, falling in overtime to visiting Point Loma by a final score of 69-68. 

The final home game of the calendar year for the Pioneers was an exciting one for the fans who made it out to Pioneer Gym for the 2:00 p.m. matinee. There were 15 lead changes, and it remained a one- or two-possession game the entire way as neither team led by more than six at any point.

East Bay shot the ball well in the first half, hitting at 48.5 percent from the field, but they were hurt by some costly turnovers and strong outside shooting by the Sea Lions, who went 4-for-10 from deep in the first 20 minutes. As a result, the teams went into halftime deadlocked at 35-35. 

The Pioneers led by one point after the third quarter, then spent the majority of the fourth clinging to a narrow advantage. They struggled to get shots to fall down the stretch, but looked to be in pretty good shape when Elayshia Woolridge knocked down a pull-up jumper with just under three minutes left to put them up five.

A minute-and-a-half later, the momentum flipped. Point Loma's Carol Schroeder scored in the paint and drew a foul on Woolridge, who was a bit too aggressive bouncing the ball off the back wall in frustration after the play, earning a technical foul. Schroeder then made all three free throws to convert the rare five-point play and tie the game. 

Both teams had a chance to score in the final minute, but weren't to, forcing an extra period. The Sea Lions seemed to keep their momentum into overtime and grabbed a quick lead. With 46 seconds left the visitors scored to go up by four points, but Kincso Kelemen answered with a three-pointer on the other end to pull the Pioneers within one. 

East Bay then got a defensive stop and secured possession of a jump ball with 17 seconds left, giving them one more chance. Savannah McGill got two shots off in the final 10 seconds, a tough look in the paint and then a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, but neither found its way through the hoop. 

It was nonetheless another monster game for McGill, who led the Pioneers with 18 points and pulled in a season-high 22 rebounds. Woolridge notched 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting, and Kelemen reached double figures in scoring as well with 10. Faith Turner added eight points and six boards down low for CSUEB.

The loss drops the Pioneers to 5-7 for the season heading into the holiday break. They will be off until next weekend, returning to the court Dec. 30 for a "Battle of the Bays" showdown with Cal State Monterey Bay in Seaside.