91短视频

91短视频 junior guard Claudia Nelson led the Pioneers with 18 points on the night. (Photo: Kelly Paris)

• February 24, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - The 91短视频 women's basketball team got redemption on Wednesday night at Pioneer Gym, toppling Humboldt State, 75-73, after falling to the Jacks by 39 points earlier this season. The Pioneers (2-24, 2-18 CCAA) recorded a new season high in scoring and were led by junior guard Claudia Nelson - a former HSU player - for the 17th time this season.

"We're a new team in this league and Humboldt State has a lot of seniors with a lot of experience," Nelson said. "The first loss to them hurt a lot. They are a great team so getting a chance to redeem ourselves and beat them felt good."

The Pioneers kept things close in the first half, nearly matching Humboldt State bucket-for-bucket. East Bay went 14-of-29 from the field, while the Jacks hit 50 percent of their shots, including six threes in the opening frame. HSU opened up a 16-7 lead at the 15:43 mark after hitting its fourth trey in the first five minutes before the Pioneers closed the lead to just one, 21-20 at the midway point of the half. The 13-5 run saw Nelson and junior center Amaris Sanders combined for nine points while forcing three Humboldt turnovers.

The Pioneers took their first lead of the half, 22-21, at the 9:19 mark on a jumper from freshman center Lauren Lucchesi, their third-straight bucket. HSU answered before the Pioneers got a back-to-back jumpers from Sanders and senior forward Colleen Cooley to take a three-point lead, 26-23, with six minutes remaining. Humboldt State, however, responded  with a 13-6 run to take a seven-point lead. East Bay capped the scoring in the opening frame with a jumper from Cooley to head to the locker room trailing by just five, 36-31.

Nelson and Cooley paced the Pioneers in the first half, notching seven points each, while Lucchesi helped East Bay out-rebound Humboldt 18-13 in the half with five rebounds. The Jacks were led by 11 points from Paige Peterson and five rebounds from Brittney Taylor in the opening 20 minutes.

The second half spelled more of the same for both teams, as Humboldt State opened the frame with back-to-back buckets to take a 40-31 lead, tying its largest of the game. The Pioneers answered with eight-straight points, sparked by a three from freshman guard Emily Valenziano, closing the gap to three, 42-39, with a free throw from Sanders at the 16:03 mark.

Humboldt State regained a seven-point lead with a 10-0 run capped by a three from Caitie Richards to give the Jacks a 49-41 advantage. 91短视频 took back the momentum over the next three minutes while holding Humboldt scoreless. The scoring streak for the Pioneers saw junior guard Andrea Rodriguez start things off with a three before junior guard Marie Colon put away a jumper after the first of five straight trips down the court without an HSU bucket. A Rodriguez layup capped the scoring run to tie the game 49-49 with 11:46 to play.

The two squads began trading baskets and over the next nine minutes they tied the score four more times. With the lead changing with nearly every bucket, neither team gained more than a three-point lead over the final 11 minutes. A free throw from freshman center Marlene MacMillan with 2:05 left to play tied the score at 68 before Nelson drained a jumper after a steal by freshman guard Jasmine Smith to give East Bay a 71-68 lead.

A three from Andrea Bobic pulled the Jacks even at 71 with a minute to play before the Pioneers took their final lead of the game on a free throw from Lucchesi. Up 72-71, East Bay forced a Humboldt turnover and Nelson hit the layup to take a 74-71 lead with 32 seconds remaining. After Taylor dropped in a layup to close the lead to just one with 21 seconds left, Rodriguez converted the first of two free throws to give the Pioneers a 75-73 advantage with less than 10 seconds remaining. MacMillan swatted out a pass from the Jacks with less than one second left on the clock and the Pioneers kept HSU from scoring on the inbounds to seal the win.

"I'm so proud of our players," CSUEB Head Coach Toni West said. "They finally played with consistent effort within our system. The intensity and effort was huge."

Nelson had yet another stellar game, going 7-for-15 from the field with 18 points to reach double figures in scoring for the eighth straight contest. Rodriguez and Lucchesi both joined Nelson in double digits, adding 12 and 11 points, respectively. Lucchesi missed posting her third double-double of the season by just one rebound, pulling down nine boards to lead the Pioneers' rebounding efforts. East Bay's 45.5 percent field goal percentage was its second-highest this season, to go along with its season-high 75 points and 17 assists, led by Rodriguez' three helpers on the night.

"We shot a lot better than in the first game and we were more aggressive going to the basket which made a big difference tonight," Nelson said. "We had our home crowd which helps a lot and we were hitting our shots. We just wanted it more this time."

Five Humboldt State players reached double figures in scoring, led by Peterson's 17 points. Bobic and Taylor notched 14 and 12, respectively, while Halsey and Lisa Petty each posted 10. Both Peterson and Taylor were one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing 10 boards apiece.

The Pioneers will look to build on the momentum and finish the season strong when they return to action this Friday, hosting Sonoma State. The game will mark both Homecoming and Senior Night at 91短视频. The Pioneers and Seawolves are set to tip off the season finale at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Gym.