Barcomb Joins 300 Club with Road Win over Cal State L.A.
- February 17, 2015
For the first time in seven tries since joining the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), Cal State East Bay earned a victory inside the Eagles' Nest. The 66-53 victory over Cal State L.A. on Friday night gives Head Coach Suzy Barcomb her No. 300 career win between her two NCAA coaching stops.
Barcomb spent 12 years at Division III Puget Sound racking up 237 victories and winning more than 73 percent of games. She arrived at Hayward in 2010 and has taken a program that was at the depths of the league to three consecutive CCAA postseason tournament appearances.
"I have been blessed to coach some amazing young women at Puget Sound, and now here at East Bay. I have had wonderful assistant coaches and I would not be here without all of them," said Barcomb.
Cal State East Bay was looking for a significant boost toward securing a berth into the CCAA Tournament for a fourth straight season. The Pioneers recently overtook Cal State L.A. (9-12, 8-9 CCAA) for sixth as the Golden Eagles entered Friday in the midst of a three-game slide.
"Anytime you win on the road in the CCAA it's a good day. This was a critical road win for us in terms of taking a step closer to our ultimate goal of playoffs," Barcomb added. "Tonight was a team win. We played solid team defense and several players made big shots."
CSULA took the lead after scoring on the game's opening possession. Tori Breshers tied the game on CSUEB's first offensive possession, scoring two of her game-high 21 points. The Pioneers did not trail after the opening minute and led by as many as 15 points.
Cal State East Bay's offense took a big blow early on as senior guard Stephanie Lopez picked up three first-half fouls. She was limited to three points in six first-half minutes. A well-rested Lopez played the entire second half putting up 13 points, three steals, and two assists as the Pioneers scored 39 points out of halftime.
"Tori came up big for us tonight and Steph had a great second half," praised Barcomb.
A couple of big shots came early on from East Bay newcomer Shannon Bland. Her five first-half points capped off a 12-1 scoring run putting the Pioneers out front for good.
The Pioneer defense set up the offense by scoring 20 points off 23 Golden Eagle turnovers. East Bay senior Micah Walker matched her career high with four steals, to go along with three assists and five boards.
The defense did not allow a CSULA team member to score more than five first-half points. Chiara DiMarco finished with 14 to lead the Golden Eagles in the loss.
CSUEB's Remy Puou saw limited action due to foul trouble but played an efficient 15 minutes -- she contributed six points and led the Pioneers with eight rebounds. Bianca Littleton knocked down two out of three shots and snatched seven boards, her highest mark in league play this season.