CSU East Bay’s women’s basketball team opened their first exhibition match of the season with a 67-44 road loss against the University of the Pacific
Tigers.

Although they succeeded in slowing down an explosive Tiger offense—who just came off a victory in which they scored 105 points—the Pioneers failed to produce offensively.

Thirty-five turnovers were the cause for such low productivity. Senior Claudia Nelson was the lone player on the team with double-digit points, leading both teams in points scored.

“I think Claudia is really trying to direct the program, being a fifth-year senior,” coach Suzy Barcomb said.

“We’ve also had injuries. [Last year’s] Freshmen of the year Lauren [Lucchesi] is coming off injury.

She hadn’t practiced for almost two weeks,” added Barcomb.

With the return of some players who are coming off injury to the line up, the offensive production may increase along, with the possible reduction in turnovers.

“We got great shots. We did knock a lot down, but we just turned the ball over too much,” Barcomb said.

The team’s focus and key to success during the regular season begins in the locker room before setting foot on the court.

Players must build stronger relationships with each other off the courts in order to communicate better during games and practice. Building better chemistry has become a primary concern they are addressing.

“Obviously, team chemistry is one of the key things, and it’s just a little bit of an ownership of being able to take someone’s criticism without taking it personally. We played a Division I team on Sunday, and we turned the ball over and we can’t do that,” Barcomb said.

While team chemistry isn’t an easy task to accomplish, it is evident that bad communication was the foundation that caused 35 turnovers. Only through the proper development of skills and progress as a team will the women’s basketball program flourish under first year coach, Suzy Barcomb.

There’s still a long season ahead of them, with their home opener against Sonoma State on December 19. Therefore, the expectations of this young team are to develop into a solid offense that commitsless turnovers, and to gain more experience at the college level.

These are some of the keys that will lead them to a successful season.