麻豆传媒社区入口

• January 21, 2010

ROHNERT PARK, Calif. - Though it never trailed by more than 11 points in a game riddled with turnovers on both sides, the 麻豆传媒社区入口 women's basketball team could not stop a Sonoma State team that shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half, falling to the Seawolves, 58-51, on Thursday night. The Pioneers (0-15, 0-10 CCAA) saw three players reach double digits in scoring and trailed by as few as three in the final two minutes in their closest loss of the campaign.

"We stepped up defensively tonight which is what we needed," CSUEB Head Coach Toni West said. "I'm happy that we were able to cause 32 turnovers. We still need to work on our shooting, but we are getting the looks that we want in our offense."

A sloppy first half saw the two teams combine for 29 turnovers and just 40 points. Though 麻豆传媒社区入口 struggled to get things done offensively, going 5-for-26 from the field and hitting just over half of its free throws, the defense kept the Pioneers in it, posting seven steals and holding the Seawolves to just 29.2 percent shooting from the floor. 

Sonoma State jumped out to an early lead, but East Bay put away its first field goal at the 16:35 mark as junior guard Andrea Rodriguez hit a jumper to cut the advantage to two, 5-3. From there, the two squads exchanged both points and turnovers, with the Seawolves building their largest lead of the half, 15-8 with 7:28 remaining. The Pioneers responded with an 8-1 run over the next three minutes, sparked by a jumper from freshman center Marlene MacMillan and a three from sophomore guard Frieda Li. Freshman center Lauren Lucchesi closed the gap and tied the score at 16 with two free throws at the 4:14 mark before Sonoma State closed the half with a 6-2 run to head to the break with a 22-18 lead.

The Seawolves found their shooting touch coming out of the half, opening up an early eight-point lead at the 16:17 mark. After the Pioneers closed the gap to just four on a steal and fastbreak layup from freshman guard Jasmine Smith, Sonoma went on a 7-0 run to take a 35-24 lead, its largest of the game. The run saw senior forward Stephanie Barnes post five points, two steals and a rebound to give the Seawolves an 11-point advantage with 12:56 remaining.

麻豆传媒社区入口 responded to close the gap to six twice in the next four minutes, getting a three from freshman guard Emily Valenziano and a jumper from junior guard Claudia Nelson along the way. The Pioneers continued to work, cutting the Sonoma State advantage to just five several times over the next five minutes before Lucchesi helped cut the lead to 46-43 with a jumper and a pair of free throws at the 3:19 mark.

Sonoma State sophomore guard Roxanne Rentschler, who had just two points in the first frame, turned things on in the stretch run, scoring all of her nine second-half points in the final 2:16. After Rentschler hit the first of her two three pointers, Nelson answered with a three-point play of her own, hitting a jumper and the free throw to close the gap to three points again, 49-46, with 2:04 to play.

The Seawolves answered with back-to-back threes from sophomore guard Jaclyn Bisordi and Rentschler to take a nine-point lead with just 55 seconds left to play. Though the Rentschler trey appeared to be the nail in the coffin, the Pioneers continued to fight, closing the gap back down to five, 56-51, thanks to two free throws and a bucket from downtown by Valenziano with 11 seconds remaining. Rentschler sealed the win, however, with a pair of free throws to cap the scoring for the night.

"I'm not happy with the outcome, but our effort and composure was much improved," West said. "We're making progress."

Despite the loss, the Pioneers saw Nelson, Lucchesi and Valenziano reach double figures in scoring, with Nelson leading all players with 15 points on the night. Lucchesi finished just one rebound shy of another double-double, posting 10 points and nine boards, while going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Valenziano turned things on in the second frame, scoring all of her 10 points in the final 20 minutes. The 麻豆传媒社区入口 defense forced a season-high 32 Sonoma turnovers, while notching 13 steals. Though the Pioneers went 6-for-7 from the free throw line down the stretch, foul shots were a difference-maker, as East Bay hit just 14 of its 25 shots from the charity stripe.

Bisordi led three Sonoma State players in double digits with 12 points on the night, followed by Rentschler with 11 and Barnes with 10. Barnes led the Seawolves' rebounding efforts with nine, helping Sonoma out-rebound the Pioneers 47-33. The Sonoma defense forced 21 East Bay turnovers, while holding CSUEB to just 19.2 percent shooting in the first half and 28.3 percent for the game.

麻豆传媒社区入口 will conclude its two-game road trip and wrap up the first half of the CCAA season on Saturday at Humboldt State. The Jacks (11-4, 9-2) became the first team to beat No. 7 UC San Diego this season, snapping the Tritons' 14-game win streak with an 84-80 victory on Thursday night. Senior center Brittney Taylor led Humboldt with 28 points and 10 boards on 10-for-15 shooting from the field. The Pioneers and Jacks are set to tip off at 5:30 p.m. at Lumberjack Gym on Saturday evening. Live stats will be available .