Box score

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Pioneer men's basketball team lost to San Francisco State, 78-71, before a homecoming crowd of 727 in Pioneer Gym.

After trailing 43-30 at halftime, Cal State East Bay (7-13, 5-11 CCAA) opened the second half with five unanswered points including a fourth consecutive 3-pointer by Jason Smith.

The Gators maintained a 50-43 advantage with 14 minutes left in the second half.

Encouraged by a spirited homecoming crowd, the Pioneers rallied with a 12-3 run, and took a 55-53 lead with 10:45 remaining on a three-pointer by Jacari Whitfield.

San Francisco State (6-17, 4-13 CCAA) outscored Cal State East Bay 16-8 in the next five minutes to hold a six point margin.

Two free throws by the Pioneers' Roshun Wynne tied the game 71-71 with 1:30 left.

Griffin Reilly hit a three-pointer with 37 seconds left to give the Gators a 74-71 advantage.

The Gators converted four free throws in the final 20 seconds to secure the hard earned victory.

“Our homecoming crowd was tremendous,” Pioneer assistant coach Darren French said. “They were really spirited and were a key factor in our second half comeback.”

The Gators jumped out to a 9-2 lead.

Cal State East Bay went on a 14-5 run to take a 16-14 advantage with 10:25 left.

A dunk shot by James Albright highlighted a Gator 14-5 run the following four minutes.

San Francisco State, which shot 62.1 percent in the first half, increased its lead to 41-30 with less than a minute to play.

Chad Delaney hit a basket at the buzzer to give the Gators a 13-point halftime lead.

Wynne led all scorers with 24 points and had four second half steals. Smith and Mark Samuels scored 12 and 11 points respectively.

Nefi Perdomo led four Gator players in double figures with 18 points. Albright followed with 17.

“We played together and showed a lot of courage as a team,” French said. “There were many positives to take from this game.”

The Pioneers will host Cal Poly Pomona on February 11 as part of homecoming week. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.