Cal State San Bernardino takes a 2-0 non-conference record into this weekend's California Collegiate Athletic Association basketball home openers against UC San Diego and Cal State East Bay. 
    The Coyotes take on the three-time defending CCAA regular season champion Tritons at 5:30 p.m. Friday followed by CCAA newcomer Cal State East Bay at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. 
    “These games will provide a good measuring stick to see where we are and what we need to do in the future to get better,” said Head Coach Kevin Becker. 
    Based on what he observed in last week's victories over non-conference foes Hope International University and San Diego Christian College, Becker had this to say about the team's preparations for conference play: 
    “On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd say we are a five. We have seen some good things. We had a good defensive plan in both games and executed it well last week, but we shot poorly in the first half against San Diego Christian (6 for 33). Once we get that kind of thing improved we'll be able to test the top teams in our conference.” 
    Senior guard Krystal Urzua, a second-team all-CCAA pick in 2008-09 and the team's leading scorer last season, produced 29 points against Hope and added 11 under heavy guard against SDCC to lead the team in scoring at 20 points a game thus far. 
    Junior forward Kymberly Ooten, however, provided the spark to the offense and defense in both games, coming off the bench to score 16 points in each contest and collect 17 rebounds (8.5 per game). Ten of her 17 rebounds came on the offensive glass. 
    “Kym played well. She provided a spark in both games,” said Becker. “She provided a spark in both games and has a knack for being around the ball. She's aggressive and that's hard to teach sometimes.” 
    However, Becker said the team will need more offense out of returning players like Morgan Pryor, Shannon Gholar, Lisa Takata and Brittany Groves “because Krystal will be getting everybody's best defense.” 
    He is also looking for more contributions from newcomers Nikki Boone, Tiara Richardson and Amanda Ragains. The 6-foot Ragains saw limited duty last week due to illness and 6-1 forward Kendra Dalebout is sidelined with an injury. 
    CCAA POLL: UCSD was picked by coaches to repeat as regular season champions in 2009-10, receiving 5 first-place votes to 4 for Cal Poly Pomona. CSUSB was tabbed for sixth place and Cal State East Bay for last place. 
    COYOTES VS. UCSD – Tritons lead the series 19-17. Last Coyotes win was 62-57 at UCSD in the CCAA tournament quarterfinals on March 3. The teams split their regular season series. 
    COYOTES VS. EAST BAY – CSUSB leads the all-time series 6-3. The teams last met in 1997-98 with the Coyotes winning 75-62 when East Bay was known as Cal State Hayward. This is the Pioneers' first year in NCAA Division II and the CCAA. 
    TRITONS TIPS – UCSD has won three straight regular season CCAA titles but were eliminated in the 2009 CCAA tournament quarterfinals by the Coyotes, 62-57, advancing to the NCAA West Regional semifinals where they lost to Alaska Anchorage….Head Coach Charity Elliott, starting her third season, has led the Tritons to a 53-15 record, including a 71-70 win over Grand Canyon on the road in their 2009-10 regular season opener….Top returning players for UCSD are sophomore guard Chelsea Carlisle (13.2 points, 3.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game), Anette Ilg, a senior guard, who averaged 9.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, junior guard Leilani Martin (7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds per game) and senior forward Erin Noonan (6.7 points, 4.2 rebounds per game)….Carlisle had 20 points and five steals against GCU on Nov. 21 while Ilg and newcomer Tiffany Hunter, a 5-10 transfer from Mira Costa College, each had 12 points. Hunter collected a team-high eight rebounds. 
    PIONEER POINTS – East Bay is moving up to D-2 after being a member of the California Pacific Conference, posting a 9-18 record last season, 6-10 in the conference….CSUEB returns just one starter and has 10 newcomers on its roster….Andrea Rodriguez, a guard, is the lone starter back. She averaged 7.3 points and 3.1 rebounds a game last season….the team lost its season opener 88-55 to West Region power Western Washington….Claudia Nelson, a junior transfer from Foothill JC, led the Pioneers with 18 points in the loss to WWU…..Toni West, a former assistant at San Francisco State, is in her second year as head coach of the Pioneers. 
    YOTES NOTES – Nine players have played at least 13 minutes a game in the team's first two outings….Krystal Urzua, the program's career and single-season record holder for three-point field goals, has hit eight of her first 14 three-pointers (57 percent) and is averaging 4.5 rebounds a game….Senior guard Ashlee Ford has seven steals in the first two games and is averaging 7 points a game thus far….CSUSB is holding opponents to 54 points a game while scoring 68 a game…..accuracy at the foul line has been a problem with the team making just 63 percent of its free throws (24 of 38) thus far….CSUSB has won the battle of the boards thus far, outrebounding opponents 92-65…..