Friday, Jan. 18
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (8-3, 6-2 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym
7:30 p.m.
Live Stats

Saturday, Jan. 19 -- Dads & Daughters
vs. UC San Diego (3-8, 2-6 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym
7:30 p.m.
Live Stats

HAYWARD, Calif. – It has been a season of splits for the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team in CCAA play. Back in December, the Pioneers earned an opening-weekend split against SF State and Sonoma State. They followed that by splitting their home-and-away series with Cal State Monterey Bay sandwiched around the holiday break. The trend continued into the new year, as East Bay traveled south to split with the Golden Eagles and Toros, before returning home last weekend to split with Humboldt State and Cal Poly Pomona. All this splitting has left the Pioneers right in the thick of the conference race, and with six of their next eight at home, this week presents a crucial set of games. East Bay (5-7, 4-4 CCAA) will play host to second-place Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, followed by UC San Diego on Saturday, with both game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tip-offs.

WEEKEND RECAP
After more than a month away from Pioneer Gym, the team gave its fans a warm homecoming on Friday with an impressive win over the visiting Lumberjacks. East Bay jumped out to a big first-half lead and forced 20 Humboldt turnovers. They ended up attempting 50 free throws – one shy of the school record – en route to a 78-70 victory. Gabe Kindred led the Pioneers with 18 points, Ryan Hebebrand scored a career high with 16, and Jason Smith added 15 points on 4-of-6 from three. Ota Okungbowa also set a career best with nine rebounds.

East Bay didn't have quite as much success offensively the following night. No. 9 Cal Poly Pomona brought in the second-ranked scoring defense in the nation and held the Pioneers to 51 points on 31.1 percent from the field. The Broncos shot just 38.5 percent themselves, however, and East Bay nearly erased a 21-point deficit. They trailed by one point with two minutes to go, but couldn't quite complete the comeback, losing 58-51. Smith and Kindred were the only to Pioneers to reach double figures in scoring, with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

JAMMED GYM
Friday's win over Humboldt was one of the most exciting games of the year at the Hayward campus. Pioneer Athletics celebrated the team's return home with “Jam the Gym” night, a promotion that attempted to break the school attendance record. The Pioneer faithful turned out in droves – 1,188 in total – to shatter the previous mark, earning everyone in attendance free Chipotle coupons.

CLIMBING THE LIST
With eight three-pointers over the weekend, Smith raised his team-leading total to 26. He has made 19 in conference games at a rate of 44.2 percent, both of which rank him in the CCAA's top-7. The senior has really come on lately as a scoring threat, posting double figures in five of his last seven games. Smith is also moving up the East Bay record books. With 99 career three-pointers made (and counting), he ranks seventh on the all-time list. Another good weekend could vault him into the top four.

HUSTLE STATS
At 38.0 percent from the field for the season, the Pioneers have had their shooting struggles (despite Smith's recent surge). However, they've managed to overcome low percentages in several games by doing what they do best – hustling. Specifically, the Pioneers run the floor, crash the boards, and create loads of scoring chances. They lead the CCAA in steals (8.4 spg), they have a positive turnover margin (+2.4), and they're one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the conference. This has resulted in the most free throw attempts and second-most field goal attempts in the CCAA, so even when the shots aren't falling from outside, the Pioneers are finding ways to score.

SCOUTING SAN BERNARDINO
After winning eight straight, capped off by a 67-63 victory at No. 6 Cal Poly Pomona, the Coyotes were swept at home in their doubleheader last weekend by Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State. At 6-2, they're still in second place in the CCAA and currently rank as the conference's highest scoring team (71.9 ppg). They now play six consecutive road games, including successive NorCal trips. Guard Brandon Goins is the CCAA's fourth-leading scorer at 15.3 ppg and has scored in double figures in nine of 11 games. Kwame Alexander ranks third in the conference in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and has posted double-doubles in two of his last four games. The Pioneers defeated Cal State San Bernardino at home in their last meeting a year ago, but the Coyotes lead the all-time series 7-2.

TRACKING THE TRITONS
UCSD is next-to-last in the CCAA right now at 2-6, having split their homestand last weekend, beating Chico but losing to Stanislaus. They're the lowest-scoring team in the conference and rank near the bottom in field goal and three-point shooting percentage. However, guard Tyler McGrath is the second-leading scorer (16.4 ppg) and leading free throw shooter (90.5 percent) in the CCAA, carrying the Tritons by scoring in double figures in his last 10 games. Guard James McCann is also one of the conference's top scorers (13.8 ppg), while forward Justin Brue leads the team in rebounding (10.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg). The Pioneers defeated UCSD in both meetings last season, including an overtime road win and an 83-71 victory in Hayward.