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• January 14, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - Though they made a strong push in the second half, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team fell to San Francisco State, 70-62, in the first edition of the Battle of the Bay rivalry on Thursday night. The Pioneers (0-13, 0-8 CCAA) nearly closed a 17-point gap in the second frame, but fell short in their closest loss of the season thus far.

"I'm happy with our defensive effort," CSUEB Head Coach Toni West said. "You could really tell there was a different intensity. San Francisco State is a hard team to play against. I'm glad the team rose to a higher level."

The Gators (7-9, 3-5) got out to a quick start in the first half, opening up an early 11-point lead while holding Cal State East Bay to just seven points in the first eight minutes of the game. The Pioneers charged back, closing the gap to seven at the 8:47 mark thanks in part to five points and two rebounds from freshman forward Lauren Lucchesi over the course of four minutes.

The two squads exchanged buckets for the next four minutes, with SFSU holding onto a 33-27 lead with 2:14 to play in the half before going on a 7-0 run to finish the frame and head to the break with a 40-27 advantage. Despite the 13-point deficit, the Pioneers forced 14 Gator turnovers in the first frame, resulting in 17 points.

Although it gave up an early jumper to extend the San Francisco State lead to 15, Cal State East Bay turned things around to open the second half with a 12-6 run and close the gap to seven at the 15:06 mark. The run saw freshman guard Emily Valenziano start things off with a three-pointer and add another jumper as well as a rebound and a steal, while Lucchesi put away a jumper and completed the three-point play after an SFSU foul. Junior guard Marie Colon, playing her first game after returning from injury, capped the run with two free throws.

The Gators responded with a 14-3 run of their own over the next five minutes to take a 60-43 lead with 10:38 to play. The Pioneers were undiscouraged, however, as junior guard Claudia Nelson led them in their comeback effort, notching six points, two assists and a steal while helping CSUEB close the SFSU lead to six, 66-60, at the 3:49 mark. Meanwhile, the Gators turned the ball over six times during the East Bay run and sent the Pioneers to the free throw line three times.

Still trailing by six with 1:33 remaining, Cal State East Bay appeared to have taken control and were set for the come-from-behind victory, but were tripped up by four Gator rebounds, a jumper and a block over the final 90 seconds of the game to give SFSU its final eight-point advantage. The Pioneers out-scored San Francisco State 35-30 in the second frame, while forcing another 13 turnovers and shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range.

Nelson paced the Pioneers in the losing effort, posting 15 points and adding three steals and five assists on the night. Valenziano also reached double figures, chipping in 11 point on four-of-eight shooting from the field and dishing out five helpers of her own. Cal State East Bay notched 32 points off of 27 SFSU turnovers. Three Gators hit double digits, led by Donisha Tate's 12-point, 15-rebound double-double.

"We continue to get better on both sides of the ball," West said. "We're on the right track. I'm looking forward to getting more healthy bodies back and the rest of the conference season."

The Pioneers are back in action on Saturday, as they play host to Cal State Monterey Bay. The Otters (9-3, 5-3) fell to No. 7 UC San Diego, 68-63, on Thursday night. Tip off on Saturday is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Gym. Live stats are available .