Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. - Behind five players scoring in double figures, Cal State East Bay took the lead early and never looked back en route to an 84-48 win against Alaska in a non-conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Gymnasium.
"This team has to do the little things in order to compete," third-year head coach
Cody Burgess said. "Right now, we have a lack of resolve on defense. Players have to change their mindset and be a team. These [two road] games were disappointing."
The Pioneers (2-1) were led by Tori Breshers and Brianna Terrance, who scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench. The duo also combined for 15 rebounds while Breshers added three blocks and two steals.
Other key contributors for CSUEB included Micah Walker (13 points, 5 assists), Lauren Lucchesi (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Meghan Cichoke (11 points). East Bay shot better than 47-percent for the game while holding the Nanooks (0-3) to less than 25-percent from the floor. The Pioneers controlled the boards 44-33 and forced Alaska into 20 turnovers while only giving the ball away 14 times. They also led the blocks department 6-1.
The Nanooks had a trio of players tie for the team-high as senior guards
Taylor Altenburg (Elko, Nev./Criminal Justice) and
Teanna Boxley (Mesa, Ariz./Business Management) and junior guard
April Fultz (Rialto, Calif./Political Science) all had nine points.
With the game knotted at 12 apiece in the first, the Pioneers went on a 7-0 run to grab a 19-12 advantage with 10:58 to go in the half. The Nanooks scored two from the line to cut it to five but another 7-0 run extended the lead to 26-14 with under eight to go in the first. East Bay ended the period with an 11-5 run to stretch the lead to 44-25.
Alaska could never recover from the first half runs as the hosts, leading 57-34, scored the next 10 to go up 33 at the midway point of the second stanza. From there, East Bay coasted to the finish line.
The Nanooks return home for a three-pack of games at the Patty Center when it hosts the 2012 Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational, Nov. 22-24.
