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• January 30, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay women's basketball team put up a valiant effort against third-place Cal Poly Pomona, but fell to the Broncos, 68-59, after a late surge on Saturday night at Pioneer Gym. The Pioneers (0-18, 0-13 CCAA) led for most of the first frame and were within 11 points of Pomona for the entire second half, but could not complete the comeback effort as the Broncos scored 11 second-chance points on nine offensive boards in the final 20 minutes.

"We played with 100 percent effort tonight," CSUEB Head Coach Toni West said. "If we continue to play and practice this way, we might sneak out a few wins this season."

For the first time this season, East Bay led for most of the first half, holding onto the lead for the initial 17 minutes of the game. The Pioneers kicked things off with back-to-back buckets from freshman center Marlene MacMillan and led 12-6 at the 14:58 mark. Despite several pushes from the Broncos, Cal State East Bay held strong, helping build a nine-point lead with 10:52 remaining. The Pioneer defense had forced seven turnovers and grabbed 10 rebounds at the midway point of the half.

Trailing 24-15, the Broncos scored seven unanswered points to close the gap to just two before East Bay responded with an 8-0 run sparked by an offensive board from junior forward Natalie Montes and a bucket from junior guard Marie Colon. A pair of free throws from junior guard Andrea Rodriguez with 5:39 remaining gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the half, 32-22. Pomona shifted momentum almost immediately, as sophomore guard Rosslyn Beard knocked down a jumper and recorded a steal to kick off a 13-2 run that gave the Broncos their first lead of the night, 35-34, with 2:30 remaining. The Pioneers went to the break trailing 37-34 after being held without a field goal for the final five minutes of the first frame.

Both teams started off the night shooting well, with East Bay knocking down 41.2 percent of its shots from the field in the opening frame. MacMillan led the Pioneers in the first half, closing in on her eventual double-double with 12 points and seven rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass. Rodriguez and freshman guard Emily Valenziano posted eight points apiece in the first half, with Valenziano going 4-for-6 from the floor. For the Broncos, sophomore center Megan Ford hit double figures early on, posting 13 points while senior guard Stephisha Walton led Pomona with nine boards.

After committing two turnovers and allowing six straight Cal Poly Pomona points in the first 90 seconds of the second stanza, the Pioneers got back on track, closing the nine-point Bronco lead to just two over the next two minutes. East Bay forced three turnovers and converted on the other end with a Valenziano trey, a jumper and a pair of free throws from Rodriguez and a jumper from junior guard Claudia Nelson to come within two, 45-43 with 16 minutes to play.

Pomona responded with an 12-3 run over the next eight minutes to take its largest lead of the game at 11 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and holding the Pioneers without a field goal during that span. East Bay looked poised for the comeback victory, as it began to chip away at the Bronco lead with a pair of buckets in the paint from Montes and two free throws from Nelson that kicked off an 11-3 scoring run that put the Pioneers within three with just 2:55 remaining.

Beard swung the momentum back in the Broncos' favor with a three that helped Pomona score eight unanswered points, including a 5-for-6 performance from the charity stripe down the stretch. The Pioneers missed four of their last five field goal attempts, with Valenziano posting the final bucket of the game with two ticks remaining to close the gap back to single digits.

Valenziano led the Pioneers in the losing effort, posting a season-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and two threes. She was joined in double figures by MacMillan, who posted her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 boards, and Rodriguez who finished with 12 points and four assists. The East Bay defense forced 28 turnovers and posted four blocks and 10 steals. Pomona was led by four players in double digits, with Ford leading the way with 12 points, Walton notching a 12-point, 17-rebound double-double, and Beard and junior guard Reyana Colson adding 10 and 15 points, respectively.

The Pioneers return to action next weekend as they close out the four game homestand before hitting the road for two weeks. Cal State East Bay will play host to Cal State LA on Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Gym. The game is the Pioneers' Pink Zone game, part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's national inititative to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research within women's basketball, college campuses and the community.