Box score

HAYWARD, Calif. - The Pioneer men's basketball team played their best game of the season in a narrow 67-63 defeat to CCAA powerhouse CS Los Angeles on Jan. 15.

East Bay took a 16-15 lead with 10:56 remaining in the first half on a basket by Jared Waters. The Pioneers went on a 9-5 run to take a 25-20 advantage with 6:12 left. Jacob Straley hit a free throw with 3:04 left as the Pioneers maintained a 28-22 margin. The Golden Eagles tied the game 28-28 at halftime with a 6-0 run in the final two minutes.

The second half was highlighted by 17 lead changes. A layup by Bussey Ellis put Cal State LA ahead 38-34 at the 15:33 mark. East Bay held its biggest advantage of the game at 52-45 with 9:11 left on a three-point play by Roshun Wynne.

David Norris made a basket with 4:19 remaining as the Golden Eagles regained the lead 59-58. Mark Samuels hit a layup with 3:03 remaining to give the Pioneers their final lead of the game 61-60. CS Los Angeles went on a 5-0 run to hold a 65-60 advantage with 14 seconds remaining. George Toyama completed a three-point play to narrow the Golden Eagles lead to 65-63 with 12 seconds left. CS Los Angeles secured the hard earned victory with two free throws in the final six seconds.

“Tonight, we put together a 40-minute game,” Pioneer coach Will Biggs said. “We went toe-to-toe with a very athletic squad. I felt our execution was better than Cal State Los Angeles. A lot of positives came out of this game.

With the victory, CS Los Angeles improves to 7-3 in CCAA play and 11-3 overall. East Bay is 0-10 in the CCAA and 2-12 for the season.

The Pioneers converted seven three-pointers and 14 of 17 free throws. East Bay received good production from its bench which outscored Cal State Los Angeles 24-4.

Wynne played an outstanding game for the Pioneers pouring in a game-high 19 points. Toyama came off the bench to score 14 points including three 3-pointers.

Franklin Session and David Norris each scored 17 points for the Golden Eagles. Both Session and Norris completed double-doubles with 10 rebounds each.

“I'm so proud of our team,” Biggs said. “I can see us winning games this season in the CCAA following this performance against a good Cal State Los Angeles team.”

The Pioneers resume their homestand on Jan. 20 against Cal Poly Pomona at 7:30 p.m. in Pioneer Gym.