SAN DIEGO, Calif., -- The second-half comeback attempt fell just short for the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team as they concluded the 2018-19 regular season with a 77-69 road defeat to No.2 UC San Diego at the RIMAC Center on Saturday evening, March 2.
 
Despite the loss, the Pioneers clinched the sixth seed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) playoffs after finishing the season with a 10-12 mark in league play with a 13-15 overall record.
 
This is the eight consecutive season that the East Bay women's basketball program has earned a bid in conference postseason play. The Pioneers will travel to Arcata to face Humboldt State for the second year in a row.
 
As for Saturday's game, the home team Tritons jumped out to an early and never trailed n the ball game carrying a 42-20 lead into the intermission. UC San Diego would go up by as many as 28 points midway through the third quarter but CSUEB would bounce back to outscore the UCSD 49-35 in the second half of action.
 
Senior point guard Elayshia Woolridge (Oakland, Calif.) turned in a terrific performance leading all scorers with 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field. Woolridge was a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range and 3-for-3 from the foul line with three rebounds and an assist.
 
East Bay was dominant on the glass as they out rebounded UC San Diego 51-38 for the contest. Senior Savannah McGill (Lacey, Wash.) grabbed a game-best 13 rebounds to lead CSUEB. McGill added five points, a team-high three assists, a block and a steal across 28 minutes.
 
Both teams notched 24 painted points but it was the Pioneer bench that shined bright. The Cal State East Bay reserves poured in 30 points to just 12 points from the Tritons bench. Regina Sankey (San Jose, Calif.) led the CSUEB reserves with nine points and eight rebounds. Sankey tied a team-high with three steals, an assist and a block while knocking down three of her four free throws.
 
Madison Schiller (Ridgecrest, Calif.) tallied eight points and tied the team lead with three steals. Schiller went 3-for-6 and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe with three rebounds and an assist. Ruobing Bai (Beijing, China) provided East Bay with an efficient night going 3-for-3 from the floor with six points, three rebounds and two assists through 19 minutes off the bench. Courtenay Brown (Oakland, Calif.) also finished with six point and two rebounds.
 
Cal State East Bay shot 36 percent (26-for-72) from the field, including 35 percent (8-for-23) from beyond the arc. After a hot start for the home team Tritons, the Pioneer defense held UC San Diego to only nine make field goals on 37 percent accuracy in the second half.
 
Faith Turner (Auburn, Wash.) compiled six points and three rebounds in 24 minutes as a starter. Kayley Hsiung (Bakersfield, Calif.) scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds. Hsiung garnered three steals and dished out two assists.
Cal State East Bay will travel to Arcata for a first round matchup against Humboldt State (19-6, 17-5 CCAA) on Tuesday, March 5 at 7:00 p.m. in Lumberjack Arena.