Box Score LOS ANGELES - Senior guard
Jason Smith's perfect shooting night that included a 7-for-7 performance from the field led the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team to a 54-45 victory over Cal State LA on Friday night. The Pioneers (4-5, 3-2 CCAA) held off a second-half push by the Golden Eagles (5-4, 2-3) to pick up their first victory of 2013 and their second road win of the CCAA season.
Smith finished with 21 points to lead all players following his record-breaking shooting performance. The Troy, Idaho, native went 4-for-4 from three-point range and added three free throws to cap a night that saw him set a new East Bay standard for single-game field goal percentage, topping Jim Moran's record of .916 set in 1985. Smith also added four rebounds and three steals on the night.
Nick Marshall cleaned up on the boards for the Pioneers, finishing with 14 rebounds, including five offensive boards, despite Cal State LA holding a 48-38 advantage on the glass overall. Marshall also added six points, while
Jacari Whitfield chipped in with eight.
Gabe Kindred also helped out, scoring seven points and adding four assists and four steals for East Bay.
The Pioneers never trailed in the game, opening up a 10 point lead midway through the first half. Though the Golden Eagles answered to close the gap to six with just under six minutes to play in the opening frame, Smith hit a pair of three pointers and East Bay got help from
Vincent Capellino and Marshall in the paint to take a 12-point lead into the half.
Though the Pioneers maintained a double-digit lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half before Cal State LA went on a 13-4 run over the next seven minutes to cut the lead to just one with 4:56 to play. Now holding its smallest advantage since the first basket of the game, East Bay responded with a 10-point run of its own thanks, in part, to an 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line down the stretch. With just 23 seconds remaining, Smith scored the final point of the game for the Pioneers to give them a 54-43 lead. Although Cal State LA hit a layup in the final seconds, it was not enough, handing East Bay the nine-point victory.
Cal State East Bay returns to action on Saturday, when it travels to Carson to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
