12 SPORTS
THURSDAY DECEMBER 1, 2016
THE PIONEER Dubs defense needs work By Benjamin Conroy CONTRIBUTOR
PHOTO BY KEDAR DUTT/THE PIONEER
Cal State East Bay senior guard Jalen Richard plays defense during a game against the Western Washington Vikings.
Men’s basketball on a roll By Marissa Marshall STAFF WRITER Last year the California State East Bay men’s basketball team started their season at just 2-5; not very good. However this year, the men started off 6-1 and are currently on a five-game winning streak after wins over Northwest Nazarene and Academy of Art this past Thanksgiving weekend. On Friday the men traveled to Chico State for the 2016 Mac Martin Invitational where they faced Northwest Nazarene University (2-3 overall). East Bay dominated as senior forward Micah Dunhour led the Pioneers to victory. The forward led all scorers with 23 points, going 6 for 12 on field goals, 2 for 3 from behind the three point line and 9 for 9 on free throws. He also had 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 32 minutes of playing time. Micah has been a consistent player for East Bay in the past few games as he put up 22 points in their game on Nov. 22 against Holy Names and 15 against Montana State on Nov. 19. “I changed my diet this summer and I think that has really helped me with my game this season,” Dunhour said. “I feel better and have more energy. Our coaching staff provided us with different things we can do in our everyday eating habits to help us peak our performance. I’m in the best shape of my life.” The Pioneers capitalized off of Northwest’s
turnovers, scoring 20 points off them. Their bench also dominated, outscoring them 36-10. East Bay has confidence in themselves and their teammates and it shows in their gameplay, specifically in their quick ball movement and sharp passes they use to take advantage of the opportunities handed to them. The Pioneers’ main weakness was the points they allowed in the paint; the Crusaders outscored the Pioneers in the paint, 34 to 12. If the Pioneers can improve down low, they will be a very dangerous team in the California Collegiate Conference Association Conference this year. Towards the end of the first half, four players from both East Bay and Northwest Nazarene were ejected due to an incident. The Pioneer’s sophomore point guard Juwan Anderson and Northwest’s Jalen Shepherd were both restricted from playing the next day due to a one-game suspension. East Bay finished the game with a double-digit win, 71-53. On Saturday, the Pioneers faced the Academy of Art (1-5), which added to their five-game winning streak. Initially, the Pioneers were outrebounded again 32-31, but they continued to play hard and find good looks, which led them to the 78-71 win. Dunhour put up double digits for his fifth game in a row, as he scored 14 points. Freshman guard Druce Asah also performed well again with his fourth double-digit scoring game of the season, and led the Pioneers with 22 points.
By the end of the first half, the Pioneers looked in control of the game as they led Academy of Art by 13 points, their shots fell and the squad got contributions from a slew of players. That momentum carried until the middle of the second half where the Academy of Art cut the lead down to three. East Bay started to turn the ball over, which led to points for the other team and stripped the Pioneers of their double-digit lead. It looked as if the men would have to remain cautious and continue to fight for the remainder of the game to stop the Urban Knights from completing a comeback. “We can’t lose our focus, especially when we are up,” Asah said. “We have to continue to defend and limit turnovers to ensure us a win, and I am glad we woke up so the Academy of Art could not come back.” The Pioneers defense held the Urban Knights to a dismal 11.2 three-point shooting percentage and East Bay’s 50 percent shooting percentage saved them and helped them win the game 78-71. The men will play their first CCAA game on Friday at California State Monterey Bay (2-3) and at San Francisco State (6-0) on Saturday. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. “We have seen it all, we have won games by 10 plus, we have won games close as well, so we know how to compete in different situations,” said Asah. “On top of that we are a close knit group and we trust each other in what each of us bring to the table.”
Women’s basketball goes 1-1 over the holiday weekend By Marissa Marshall STAFF WRITER After coming off of the best season in East Bay history, the loss of five key seniors and their head coach, the California State East Bay Women’s basketball team is still adjusting to an entirely different lineup and coaching staff. Over the holiday weekend, the women played Dominican University and the Academy of Art in the Thanksgiving Shootout, an invitational tournament hosted by East Bay on the Hayward campus. On Saturday the Pioneers faced Dominican University (3-3) and trailed in the beginning of the game due to early foul trouble by several key players. By the second quarter the Pioneers caught a rhythm, scored 27 points and went on a 17-4 run. This put them up 40 to 30 at the end of the first half and in good shape going into the second half. “We had to wake up in the second quarter and started defending better, which led us to executing on the offensive end,” senior transfer guard Shomari Harris said. In the second half, the Pioneers managed to maintain control through stellar rebounding and shooting, which helped them outscore Dominican in both the third and fourth quarters, which gave them the 78-62 win. Freshman guard Elayshia Woolridge tallied a season high 11 points on 5 for 7 shooting and also had 4 steals. Freshman guard Kincso Keleman also put up 12 points and 5 rebounds in 25 minutes on the floor. “I have adjusted to being who I am on the court,” said Woolridge. “I share the ball with my team-
mates and bring defensive energy to get stops and score.” Harris led the team in points with 17 and added 5 assists. Sunday night’s game was different for the Pioneers as they fell to the Academy of Art in a tough three point loss. It was another big game for Harris, who earned a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. Freshman forward Morgan Greene also had a strong night in the losing effort, as she secured a career high 10 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. The Pioneers led the entire game until the fourth
quarter, when the Academy of Art outscored them with a 14-5 run and secured the win. It came down to the little things for the team, they turned the ball over too many times and it led to the 57-54 lead for AAU late and they never looked back. “We lost control of the game tonight and we did not execute very well on the offensive end,” said Harris. “I am confident for the season. I feel like our pre-season games have prepared us for our conference. We have put in a lot of work.” East Bay is now 3-3 in non-conference play and will travel with the men to CSU Monterey Bay on Friday and San Francisco State on Saturday.
PHOTO BY TAM DUONG JR/THE PIONEER
The Pioneer women’s basketball team celebrates a score during a home game last season.
The Golden State Warriors have been considered a powerhouse team since winning the NBA championship two years ago, mainly because the team’s offense is dangerous from everywhere on the court. The Warriors don’t just look for one guy that can hit the big shot: all five players on the court can shoot the ball with amazing accuracy. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala have all become household names in the Bay Area because they have transformed the team into what it is today. They all played a huge part in the team’s record-setting winning streak of 24-0 to start the 2016-2017 season, and set the all-time regular season wins record at 73-9. Last season, they beat the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls previous record of 72-10 by one game. When Curry goes to shoot a three-pointer, some teammates immediately run back to the defensive side of the court because they know the ball is going in. Thompson also has the ability to hit the three-point shot: he made 11 three-pointers in a postseason game, a league record. Green averages just over seven assists a game and Iguodala chips in with everything offensively. With the addition this year of All-Star Kevin Durant, who is already leading the team in points, it is almost unfair to any team they play against because it won’t matter who gets the ball, each of those five has tremendous offensive abilities. A powerhouse offense does come with some complications. While the offense is rounding into form as scheduled, the defense has suffered from the loss of size in the middle. The departures of Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli have left holes in the middle of the paint. Teams aren’t afraid to attack the rim, something that hurts the Warriors and their frequent use of small-ball lineups. The team ranks 23rd in the league in points allowed per game with an average of 108.2, a stat they will need to improve if they want to make it back to the NBA Finals. When talking about the Warrior’s defense, the phrase “defense wins championships” comes to mind again. Keeping teams off the scoreboard is crucial to a winning team. Powerhouse offenses have proven time and time again to fail or come close, but never win. Last year’s NBA Finals are a perfect example of this. Golden State was up 3-1 in the series and their defense could not shut Lebron James and the rest of the Cavs team down. This resulted in Cleveland coming all the way back to win the championship in Oakland. Team offense is helping them win games but team defense is definitely making it tough to keep a winning record. Luckily the Warriors offense is that much better than the rest of the leagues this year but their defense is definitely struggling. Getting on the same page and making their team defense better will only help the Warriors become even more dominate than they already are. When they signed Durant this summer, the Warriors had to let go of some key players to make space. They traded starting center Bogut to the Dallas Mavericks and let small forward Harrison Barnes follow him in free agency. Some fans were sad to see them go, but more were happy to see Durant come in. For the last two years the team’s slogan has been “Strength in Numbers,” because bench players made the team stronger, but the Warriors lost several bench players as well, like fan-favorite Leandro Barbosa. Many thought the team would try and hang on to Barbosa, but with salary cap issues he opted for free agency this past off-season. They also loss both backup centers: Ezeli and Marreese Speights; two big men that the Warriors will miss for their size in the middle. Both averaged about seven points a game with minimal time on the court. With the loss of these key bench players, it takes time for any team to build chemistry: players need to get use to the team systems and plays and learn how to play with a new group of guys. Luckily this has not slowed the Warriors down, they are 16-2 to begin the season. This may not be an historic streak to start the year, but chances are looking good for the team to have another strong season. The 2015-2016 Warriors were arguably one of the greatest teams in history. Last year while watching team, I often said, “they are just fun to watch,” and that’s coming from someone who is not the biggest basketball fan. This year looks to be another fun year to watch with the powerhouse offensive and high-scoring games. The Warriors are ranked first in the league for points per game with an average of 116.4.