The CSUEB women’s basketball team opened the young season with a two game split while playing host to the CCAA PacWest Challenge this past weekend.

The Pioneer women opened up the challenge with a 58-36 win over Dominican University on Friday while suffering a nail biting 56-59 defeat to the Academy of Arts on Saturday.

The women were without key starters Micah Walker and Marlene MacMillan for Fridays contest versus Dominican. The women in uniform, however, ensured they would have no problem carrying the load in the players’ absence.

Whether it was Rachel Finnegan’s pinpoint facilitation on fast breaks, Lauren Lucchesi’s ability to convert on the offensive end or Cassie Coble’s presence on the defensive end, each player played their role in the team’s first win of the season.

“We are definitely working on our individual games so we do have that depth,” said 2012 CCAA freshman of the year sophomore guard Walker.

Walker missed Friday’s contest due to an illness.

“When coach looks down the bench, we want her to feel confident in who she could put in,” she added.

What ultimately fueled the team’s first win was the Pioneers’ relentless team defense. Sarah Finlay’s perimeter coverage disrupted the opposition’s ability to get a rhythm offensively. If the Penguins of Dominican got through the perimeter defense, they had to deal with the length of Coble and Lucchesi inside.

“Cassie and I are both really long so we can cover wide spaces,” Lucchesi explained. “It is important for us to set the tone and play hard in order to help our team create opportunities.”

The Pioneers held the Penguins to a mere 13 points at half, an impressive feat for a team that continues to be taught the importance of defense by head coach Suzy Barcomb.

“With us, defense is always first,” Barcomb emphasized. “It is something we have always done here at East Bay and tonight we executed effectively.”

An impressive performance had the Pioneers riding a wave of momentum into Saturday night’s game against the Academy of Art.

Walker was welcomed back from illness with a game high of 14-points which helped contribute to the team shooting 38 percent from the field and an impressive 40 percent shooting from behind the arc.

The outstanding defense continued against a deep Academy of Art team, holding their opponents to 26 percent shooting.

Amidst the percentages, the Pioneers valiant effort on the defensive end couldn’t contain the Urban Knights who held an 8-point lead with 2:24 left in the fourth quarter.

With the game slipping away, Micah ignited a comeback, converting on a pair of free throws and a lay-up.

The Pioneers called a timeout with the score sitting at 56-52. The play out of the timeout was executed to perfection as Coble sunk a three pointer from the top of the key.

The Urban Knights were suddenly on their heels, clinging to a 56-55 lead as they pushed the ball into their half-court set. The Pioneers hacked Urban Knights center Katy Wade down low with 21 seconds to go, sending her to the foul line.

Wade left the door open for the Pioneers by missing one out of two foul shots.

The Pioneers inbounded the ball from the baseline and hurried the ball into their offensive half. The women struggled to get an open look until Walker got fouled driving to the basket.

An opportunity to send the game into overtime was put to rest when Walker converted only one of two foul attempts, sending the Pioneers home with their first loss of the season.

The Pioneers setback to Academy of Art ended an encouraging weekend that has prepared the team for future contests.

“It was really good to play in this tournament because we got to see Humboldt, another CCAA team, giving us a chance to see where they are,” Coble says. “It also lets us see where we are as a team since it was our first games of the season.”

The optimism and excitement has been contagious throughout the weekend, sparking confidence in a team that hopes to make some noise in the CCAA this season.

“This weekend was a measuring stick for us,” Barcomb said. “We expect to get girls back from injury by next weekend and we will go from there.”