Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team lost a road tilt Saturday night at the hands of Dominican University (5-3, 2-0 PacWest). After a hot start, the Pioneers (3-4, 2-1 CCAA) had a frustrating shooting night en route to an 81-62 defeat. East Bay completes into non-conference schedule with a record of 1-3, the lone victory coming over Notre Dame de Namur on opening night. 

The Pioneers were the aggressors at the game's outset, and they jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. Slowly, however, the Penguins erased the deficit as East Bay started to struggle shooting the ball. The score remained tight for most of the first half until Dominican got hot and went on a late run in the final four minutes. They led by as many as nine and took a 36-28 lead into halftime.

The Pioneers continued to have a hard time finding a rhythm in the second half, and the Penguins began to pull away, hitting shots at a high percentage and extending their lead to 15 midway through the period. Both teams dipped into their benches down the stretch, and Dominican was able to continue to extend its lead, ultimately closing out the 19-point win.

As a team, East Bay shot just 31.7 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from behind the arc. They hit eight out of 26 three-pointers, half of which came from Jason Smith, who led the Pioneers with 13 points. The senior guard added four boards and took every one of his shots from long distance, hitting 4-of-11.

Senior forward Jurrell Turner was really the only Pioneer to shoot the ball well in this game. Turner notched 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. Sophomore guard Jacari Whitfield posted nine points (including 4-for-4 from the line) and three boards, and led the team with four assists.

Junior guard Gabe Kindred scored seven points and had an assist and two steals in 17 minutes of play. Ota Okungbowa and Vincent Capellino grabbed four rebounds apiece, and the pair had six and four points, respectively. Sophomore guard Tre Mauldin added five points off the bench for the Pioneers.

Dominican shot a sparkling 51.8 percent from the floor and 47.3 percent from three-point range on the night. They out-rebounded the Pioneers 48 to 31, helping them overcome 21 turnovers. Five Penguins finished in double figures, led by Devin Golston, who tallied game-highs with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Cal State East Bay has a break for the holidays next week before resuming play two weeks from tonight. The Pioneers begin the remainder of their CCAA schedule with a road game at Cal State Monterey Bay on Dec. 30.