Arcata, CALIF. —California State University, East Bay’s women’s basketball team punched their ticket for the 2022 CCAA Championship Tournament final with a 74-63 win against Cal State Los Angeles in the second round of games at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Lumberjack Arena. Their victory sets up a long-awaited rematch against Cal State San Marcos for the CCAA Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday, March 5.

The matchup against San Marcos, the CCAA regular-season champions, is an opportunity to claim the CCAA Tournament Championship and avenge their only conference loss of the season. San Marcos bested them on conference winning percentage during the regular season, with many fans feeling that CSUEB was deprived of a regular-season title because of COVID-19 game cancellations.

“It’s unfortunate that East Bay had the same number of losses as San Marcos but didn’t claim a share of the title. [Unfortunately] that’s the reality of college sports right now,” expressed Raphael Timmons, CSUEB’s East Bay Live Station Manager. 

Coming into the tournament, many fans and CSUEB students felt the Pioneers would make the final. However, stress among CSUEB fans was high as they entered the second half trailing by 12 points. 

Feeling their dream slip away, the Pioneers made an incredible second half comeback on the back of stifling defense and ended up winning comfortably. 

Cal State LA was limited to shooting 22.2% from the field in the fourth quarter, down from 62.5% in the first. 

The Pioneers came back strong, increasing their field percentage from 26.67% in the first quarter, ending the game shooting at 50%, and brought in 17 points off turnovers. 

Bouncing back from a rough first half, the Pioneers showed a late-game resolve, solidifying their ability as a team. Leading the way offensively, Delia Moore scored three three-pointers and registered 22 points for the team, proving her strength as a junior guard. Before the game, Moore was awarded the women’s basketball CCAA Elite 13 award.

Coming in from the bench, Mina Tameliau scored 19 points, followed by Zhane Duckett with 16, and Madison Schiller at 10. 

The team quickly rebounded in the game, scoring a total of 14 fast break points, showing the team’s overall offensive improvement since their last loss against San Marcos (76-54).

The team’s camaraderie continues to prove key in their long-term success, maintaining their second-seed position, boasting a record of 21-2 overall. CSUEB’s women’s basketball team won championships in 2016 and 2017, with the university hosting the championship in 2019.