ARCATA, Calif.--- With only six games remaining in the CCAA regular season, the Cal Poly Lumberjacks will look to move up and earn their spot as one of the six teams to qualify for the conference tournament in March with a pair of home games against Cal State East Bay on Thursday and No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday. Both games are slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.

"We're back in Lumberjack Arena for these next four games and obviously that's a huge plus for us," head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson said. "We need to take advantage of that. Here we are with six games left, but we've got to take care of business at home."

The 'Jacks (9-11, 7-9 CCAA) have won three of their last four contests to put themselves within two games of the final playoff position. Their lone loss during that stretch came on Saturday afternoon at Chico State (16-6, 12-4 CCAA), where the North Coast squad fell 79-66. They will look to regain their positive momentum when they face off against Cal State East Bay on Thursday. The Pioneers (10-10, 7-9 CCAA) sit tied with the Lumberjacks in seventh place and will also be playing for their postseason lives when they step on Tom Wood Court. 

After beating the Pioneers 59-54 in Hayward earlier in the season, Coach Bento-Jackson believes this game, with the stakes so high, will be a different feel than the teams' last meeting in December.

"It's been a while since we've played them," the coach said. "They're coming off two wins themselves. We're focusing on shot selection and just being more aggressive on the offensive end, but really all I'm going to talk about these next couple of days is on the defensive end and just playing a lot more intense. We're not making our opponents uncomfortable, which is something that we talk a lot about on the defensive end." 

The Pioneers are led by Delia Moore and Jaela Richardson, who both average 12.8 points per game. Linzie Taylor and Grace Campbell both rank in the top-10 in the conference in rebounding. 

The Lumberjacks face an even stiffer test on Saturday, when the squad hosts No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills. The first place Toros (21-1, 15-1 CCAA) have already clinched a spot in the conference Tournament in Turlock. They are led by three time CCAA Player of the Week Dawnyel Lair, who is averaging 15.7 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game and has been shooting the ball 64 percent from the field this season.

Off the court, both games this weekend will also carry greater significance. Thursday's game will be "Pediatric Cancer Night" in conjunction with Go 4 The Goal, an organization that supports children battling pediatric cancer.

"Thursday night is called Go 4 The Goal," the coach said. "It's for pediatric cancer children who have either survived or are going through cancer. You will notice that our girls will be wearing yellow shoe laces and we ask all of our fans to wear yellow that night."

Saturday's game will be "Blackout Night" in celebration of Black History Month. Fans are encouraged to wear black and pack the gym as the teams honor and celebrate those in the African-American community. 

"It's Blackout Night, asking all our fans to wear black and really to celebrate and honor all of those in the African-American community who have been such leaders for us and the country here on campus. We're going to be acknowledging some faculty and staff. So really two very important nights for us this week as we honor a lot of folks."