91麻豆天美app

• February 26, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - Despite a solid second-half performance, the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team could not overcome a 15-point halftime deficit in a 68-65 loss to Sonoma State on Friday night. The Pioneers (2-25, 2-20 CCAA) out-scored the Seawolves 39-27 in the final frame, leading to an exciting finish on Senior Night at Pioneer Gym.

"It was an emotional game and I wish we could have pulled it out," CSUEB Head Coach Toni West said. "We did some good things to build on for next year and I loved the crowd. Our fan support was great tonight."

The Pioneers opened the game with an 8-0 run, forcing three Sonoma State  turnovers in the first 2:30 before SSU's Christy Shreve broke through for the Seawolves at the 17:06 mark to cut the East Bay lead to 8-2. From there, Sonoma got into a groove, going on a 29-8 run while holding the Pioneers scoreless from the field for nearly five minutes. Junior guard Claudia Nelson snapped the streak with a jumper with six minutes remaining in the half to close the Sonoma lead to 11, 29-18.

The two squads traded baskets for the next five minutes, with the Seawolves maintaining a 13-point lead, 37-24, with less than two minutes to play in the half. After an SSU bucket, the Pioneers answered with two free throws from senior forward Colleen Cooley before the Seawolves finished the half with a layup in the final seconds to take a 4126 lead into the break.

Shooting was the difference in the opening frame, as Sonoma State shot nearly 50 percent to the Pioneers' 28 percent from the floor. The Seawolves were also close to perfect from the free throw line, going 10-for-12, while East Bay struggled from the charity stripe hitting just 54 percent of their foul shots.

After Sonoma State opened a 17-point lead in the first three minutes, the Pioneers responded and began to whittle away at the SSU lead. A pair of free throws from Nelson with 16:45 remaining cut the gap to 47-32 and sparked a 10-0 run that saw East Bay hold Sonoma State scoreless for more than five minutes. The run saw Nelson account for half the East Bay offense and the Pioneers close the gap to under 10 for the first time in over 15 minutes of play, while forcing five Sonoma turnovers.

Sonoma State finally broke the scoreless streak with a jumper at the 11:00 mark to regain a nine-point lead, 49-40. Both teams struggled to hit a bucket over the next four minutes, as neither team hit a field goal during the span, though Sonoma rebuilt a 13-point lead thanks to four makes from the free throw line.

After freshman guard Jasmine Smith pick-pocketed Jennifer Russo and finished with a layup to break the scoreless streak, the Pioneers grabbed momentum, going on a 10-2 run to cut the Sonoma lead to six with 2:45 left. The Seawolves regained an eight-point lead on a layup from Stephanie Barnes before Smith notched her fourth steal of the game and converted the layup again to cut the lead to 60-54 with less than two minutes left.

Another SSU turnover, followed by a layup from junior guard Andrea Rodriguez with 1:40 remaining cut the lead to four before the Seawolves regained a five-point lead thanks to a three from Barnes and a two made free throws by Jaclyn Bisordi.

Trailing 65-60, the Pioneers inbounded the ball with 20.3 seconds left, where Rodriguez banked a trey in off the glass to cut the lead to two with  17.3 seconds remaining. Three straight Russo free throws gave Sonoma a  68-63 lead with eight ticks left before the Pioneers got a layup from freshman center Marlene MacMillan to cut the lead to 68-65 with 1.2 seconds remaining. Though Sonoma State sent a virtual jump ball into the air on the inbound, Rodriguez had no time to get a shot off after snagging the ball, giving Sonoma State the victory.

The Pioneers were led yet again by Nelson, who posted 20 points in the final game of the season, her ninth straight contest in double figures and 22nd overall this campaign. Rodriguez and junior forward Natalie Montes joined Nelson in double digits, posting 10 points apiece, while freshman center Lauren Lucchesi snagged 13 rebounds to lead all players. Cooley finished her final game in the red and black a perfect 2-for-2 from the field, including a three pointer, for seven points on the night.

Sonoma State was led by Barnes' 15 points and Oly Larkin's 12, while both Barnes and Shreve pulled in eight boards. The Seawolves shot 42.6 percent for the game and hit five of their final eight free throws to seal the win.

The Pioneers will say goodbye to Cooley and senior forward Megan Christian who spent her final season on the bench with an injury.

"I really wish Megan could have played this season, but she has been a great support this year and we look forward to her joining us again next year as our student assistant coach," West said. "I really wish we had another year with Colleen. She really turned a corner and became a senior leader this year. She did everything we asked of her at the end of the year and we're really going to miss her."

East Bay will return 12 players for their second season in Division II, including leading scorer Nelson and leading rebounder Lucchesi.

"Even though it would have been great to end the season with a win, I think we end the season knowing what we need to do in order to be competitive for next season," West said.