HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay women's basketball team lost a tightly contested battle to Chico State on Thursday evening, 66-64. A basket in the closing seconds for the Wildcats made the difference, as the Pioneers dropped their third straight game. Jaela Richardson led the Pioneers in scoring with 21 points.
 

GAME SUMMARY

 
The opening quarter went in favor of the Wildcats, who led 24-15 after 10 minutes of action. Grace Campbell scored seven points in the opening quarter and had four rebounds.
 
Chico State led by as much as 11 points in the second quarter, but after baskets from Payton Sterk, Campbell and Abigail Cooper, the Pioneers cut the Wildcats' lead to 36-31 at halftime.
 
At the break, Campbell had 13 points.
 
Quarter three was favorable to the Pioneers, who battled back to tie the game at 40-40 at the 7:52 mark on a 3-pointer from Delia Moore. The lead was as much as eight points in the quarter for Cal State East Bay, and ultimately took a 55-50 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
The Pioneers led by as many as nine points in the final quarter, but Chico State went on a run to tie the game at 64-64 when Brandy Huffhines sunk a pair of free throws at the 2:13 mark.
 
Both teams missed offensive opportunities in the closing minutes, but with just seconds remaining in the game, Zhane  Duckett made the jumper that decided the game in favor of the Wildcats, who finished with a 66-64 win.
 

NOTABLE STATS

• Richardson finished with 21 points, as she has scored over 20 points in both games against the Wildcats this season. She went 9-for-12 from the floor and made three free throws.
• Campbell's 13 points and 11 rebounds was her third double-double of the season. Defensively, she also had two blocks.
• Duckett scored 19 points to lead Chico State offensively.

POSTGAME QUOTE

 
Cal State East Bay head coach Jenny Thigpin following Thursday's loss:
"We did a good job of fighting back into the game second half after a slow start in the first half. Overall, I'm proud of the way we played but we need to get better out closing our games as a whole."
 

RECORDS

 
Cal State East Bay: 8-9, 5-8 CCAA
Chico State: 13-6, 9-4 CCAA
 

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

 
The second of four straight home games takes place this coming Saturday at Pioneer Gymnasium, as Cal State East Bay hosts Stanislaus State for a 1 p.m. tipoff. The Pioneers defeated the Warriors on January 5, 73-63.