Sunday, Dec. 30
@ Cal State Monterey Bay (4-6, 0-3 CCAA)
“The Kelp Bed”
5:30 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Audio/Video 

HAYWARD, Calif. – After a two-week hiatus due to final exams and the holiday break, the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team has one final piece of business in 2012. On Sunday evening, the Pioneers (3-4, 2-1 CCAA) travel down to Seaside for a rematch against Cal State Monterey Bay. East Bay will look to break a two-game road losing streak, get back on the plus side of .500 in conference play, and complete a season sweep of the Otters. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. from the Kelp Bed.

WEEKLY RECAP
The Pioneers take the court Sunday for the first time since Dec. 15, when they visited Dominican University and came away with an 81-62 defeat. It was the most lopsided loss of the year for East Bay, which shot just 31.7 percent from the field and 30.8 percent on three-pointers. Shot creation has not been a problem for the Pioneers – they're top-3 in the CCAA in field goals, free throws, and threes attempted – but the shooting has been inconsistent. The Dominican loss was a low point in this respect, and the team completed non-conference play with a record of 1-3.

Jason Smith led the Pioneers and matched a season high with 13 points. The senior knocked down four triples and grabbed four rebounds in his second start of the season. Jurrell Turner was East Bay's most efficient scorer, tallying 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He also pulled in five boards to lead the team before fouling out. Jacari Whitfield added nine points and dished out a team-best four assists.

LEADERBOARD WATCH
With approximately one-fourth of their schedule completed, the Pioneers have gotten contributions from nearly everyone on their veteran-laden roster. Gabe Kindred leads the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg, which ranks him 12th in the CCAA. The junior guard is also 12th in the conference in assists (2.9 apg) and seventh in steals (1.7 spg). Nick Marshall paces the Pioneers with 5.7 rpg, which places him as the 13th-best rebounder in the CCAA. He also ranks seventh with a block average of 1.1 bpg.

Turner sits inside the conference's top-20 in both scoring (11.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (51.0 percent). Senior forward Vincent Capellino has knocked down 7-of-14 three pointers, good for a 50.0 percent mark that ranks fifth in the CCAA. Capellino (2.3 o-rpg) and Ryan Hebebrand (2.3 o-rpg) each grab better than two offensive rebounds a game, which ranks them eighth and seventh in the conference, respectively. 

OTTER REWIND
East Bay defeated Cal State Monterey Bay 85-82 when the teams met in Hayward three weeks ago. The Pioneers led the entire way – most of the time by double digits – and controlled the game until the final five minutes, when the Otter shooters finally caught fire. CSUMB erased a big lead and climbed within one possession, but they ultimately ran out of time, and the Pioneers made enough free throws late to secure the win. Tre Mauldin led East Bay with 15 points, three steals, and three assists. Smith (13) and Kindred (11) also reached double figures in the win.

CSUMB is coming off an 82-71 win over Academy of Art two weeks ago. The Otters are still in search of their first conference win, but this will be their first CCAA game at home in the Kelp Bed, where they haven't lost this season. Freshman Alex Fertig is the team's leading scorer, and he posted a game-high 22 points earlier in the month against the Pioneers. East Bay will also have to contend with point guard Coley Apsay (17 points last meeting), as well as big men Derrick Anderson (9.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Kevin Lousdale (10 points, 8 rebounds vs. East Bay).