Box Score ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team has made a habit of playing close games in this young 2012-13 season. The results have been at times positive (a thrilling one-point home victory on opening day and a hard-fought four-point road win at SF State last night) and negative (a two-point defeat at Academy of Art). Tonight's game fell under the latter category, despite being perhaps the most exciting contest yet. The Pioneers (2-3, 1-1 CCAA) lost on a buzzer beater at Sonoma State (3-1, 2-0 CCAA) on Saturday night by the final score of 73-72. The defeat spoils East Bay's bid for an opening weekend road sweep and a second straight 2-0 start to CCAA play.

The Pioneers played well early on, jumping out to a 9-3 lead. They shot 48.4 percent in the first half and took a 36-29 lead into the break. The Seawolves posted 45.6 percent shooting in the opening frame, but then they really started to heat up coming out of the break. They out-shot East Bay 55.2 to 41.2 percent after halftime and used a 9-0 run early in the second half to take the lead. Sonoma State stretched its advantage out to nine points at the under-10:00 media timeout.

The Pioneers countered as Gabe Kindred caught fire, drawing back within one. The junior guard knocked down a jumper for his team-high 20th point to make it 70-69 Seawolves with 34 seconds left. After Sonoma's Jason Walter made one of two free throws, the Pioneers got the ball trailing by two.

Senior guard Jason Smith picked a perfect time to hit his first three-pointer of the night, dialing long distance to put East Bay up by one with seven seconds remaining. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, that was just enough time for Sonoma State to advance the ball up-court and get it to Brandon Glanz, who laid it in with one second left to give the Seawolves the victory.

One night after setting a season-best mark in field goal percentage, the Pioneers had their best night of the season at the free throw line. The team was 14-for-22 (63.6 percent), highlighted by Jurrell Turner and Ryan Hebebrand, who combined to knock down 11 of 12 from the charity stripe. The Pioneers committed just nine turnovers and forced the Seawolves into 19, which they turned into 25 points. East Bay, however, was out-rebounded 36 to 31 as a team.

Kindred led the Pioneers with 20 points, four assists, and four steals. The Oakland native shot 9-for-16 from the field and nearly led East Bay to the comeback victory, scoring 10 of his points in the final 10 minutes. Turner added 13 points and six rebounds as the only other Pioneer in double figures. 

Senior forward Nick Marshall grabbed four boards and shot 4-of-6 from the field, scoring nine points. Hebebrand played a season-high 20 minutes and notched eight points and six rebounds, including a game-high four offensive boards. Jacari Whitfield turned in six points, shooting just 1-for-6 from three point range one night after lighting up “The Swamp” with five triples. In fact, the entire East Bay team struggled from behind the arc, going just 2-for-18.

Smith and sophomore guard Tre Mauldin scored five points apiece off the bench, with Mauldin also pulling in five rebounds.

The loss is a tough one for to swallow for the Pioneers, especially after being so close to an exciting comeback win. But a road split is nonetheless a solid start to conference play for East Bay, which will no doubt treat fans to many more tight games this year. The Pioneers are back in action a week from tonight, Dec. 8, when they return to Pioneer Gym to host traveling partner Cal State Monterey Bay.