Friday, Nov. 30 @ San Francisco State (2-2, 0-0 CCAA)
The Swamp
7:30 p.m.
Live Stats 

Saturday, Dec. 1 @ Sonoma State (1-1, 0-0 CCAA)
The Wolves' Den
7:30 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video 

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team kicks off its CCAA schedule this weekend with a pair of road games. The Pioneers haven't played in nearly two weeks, taking a break for Thanksgiving in between three straight trips to the city of San Francisco. East Bay will look to match last year's 2-0 start to conference play, but they'll have to do it against a couple of tough bay area opponents. Friday night is a “Battle of the Bay” when the Pioneers visit SF State at 7:30 p.m. The following evening, they'll travel to Sonoma State, with tip-off again scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

East Bay carries a 1-2 record into its conference opener, although one of those losses was at the hands of Division I USF. Otherwise the Pioneers have played two thrillingly close games, defeating Notre Dame de Namur 63-62 at home and losing to Academy of Art 77-75 in the city. The team is averaging 65.3 points per game, shooting 38.1 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from behind the arc, and 52.6 percent from the line. All those numbers figure to improve as East Bay settles into more of an offensive rhythm.

Four Pioneers scored in double figures in the loss to the Urban Knights, led by senior forward Nick Marshall with 16. Jacari Whitfield added 11 points and five assists, and Vincent Capellino turned in 11 points and seven boards. The Pioneers controlled the first half, shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from long distance, and leading by as many as 22. The shots stopped falling in the second half, as the team fell to 32.4 percent without a three-pointer. East Bay will look to play a more complete game on Friday in their third and final chance at a victory across the bay.

PROTECTING THE PAINT
Marshall has impressed in the early going, providing a necessary force for the Pioneers down low. In addition to averaging more than nine points a game, the Vallejo product leads the Pioneers and ranks second in the CCAA in rebounding (8.3 rpg). He led the team in rebounds each of the last two games, including a 13-board effort at USF. Marshall also has five blocks in the young season, good for fourth in the conference.

JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES
Junior guard Gabe Kindred had 12 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the loss to Academy of Art and has been the Pioneers' most dynamic player this season. Despite shooting just 38.2 percent, Kindred is the only Pioneer to score in double figures in all three games. He has done it all in the young season, leading the team with 12.0 ppg and 3.3 apg, and ranking second with 5.0 rpg. Kindred has also knocked down 4-of-7 shots from behind the arc.

GAUGING THE GATORS
San Francisco State completed its non-conference slate with a 2-2 record. The Gators have won their last two games, over No. 7 Seattle Pacific 60-55 and over UC-Colorado Springs 69-66, as part of a tournament hosted by Chico State. As a team, they shoot 48.7 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three, and 73.1 percent from the line, all of which rank in the top half of the conference. Robbie Herndon leads five Gators who score in double figures with a 17.0 ppg average. Senior guard Decensae White scores 15.2 ppg and leads the team with 6.0 rpg and 3.2 apg. James Albright leads the Gators at 54.5 percent shooting and was named CCAA Player of the Week last week after scoring 14 and 21 points in the team's respective tournament games. The Pioneers have lost six straight to SF State and have not defeated them since joining the conference.

SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
Sonoma State has yet to play on the road, posting a 1-1 overall record after defeating Dominican University 91-87 in their last game. The Seawolves are fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 79.5 ppg. They've shot 50.0 percent from the field in their two games and lead the CCAA with a 53.6 percent mark from three-point range. Senior guard Patrick Scott, named CCAA Player of the Week earlier in the month, leads Sonoma State with 21.0 ppg, the third-best average in the conference. He's shooting 70.0 percent (14-for-20) from the field and 62.5 percent (5-for-8) from long distance. Scott is also tied with Justin Herald for the team lead with 5.0 rpg. Those two, along with Will Olsem and Jason Walter, average double figures in scoring for the Seawolves. East Bay has gone 1-1 against Sonoma State in each of the past two seasons, with each team winning at home in 2011-12. The Seawolves will host Cal State Monterey Bay Friday night before the Pioneers roll into Rohnert Park.