HAYWARD, Calif. --- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team (5-4, 2-1 CCAA) is off to a solid start, but they'll look to close out the 2013 portion of their schedule on a high note this Saturday when they visit Cal State Monterey Bay. This will be the first road test in CCAA play for the Pioneers, who are now 5-4 against the Otters since joining the conference following last weekend's 76-61 win.
WEEKLY RECAP
East Bay picked up a decisive victory over CSUMB in their lone CCAA contest of the week, outlasting the Otters by 15 points in a game they led nearly the entire way. Senior
Gabe Kindred scored a career-high 28 points and set a school record going 16-for-16 at the free throw line in the win.
On Monday night, the Pioneers played their final non-conference game of the season, topping Menlo College at home by the nearly identical score of 75-61. Kindred scored 18, junior
Nick Grieves scored 15, and senior
Mark Samuels added 16. Senior
Ryan Hebebrand led all players with 12 rebounds, his first time reaching double figures this season.
HIGHS AND LOWS
One of the keys to victory over Monterey Bay last Saturday was that East Bay held the Otters to 30.2 percent shooting in the game. It was the lowest opponents' field goal percentage the Pioneers have allowed this year.
Against Menlo, East Bay shot 52.7 percent as a team, which was their best mark of their season and the first time they've topped 50 percent.
The Pioneers were also 9-for-19 on three-pointers (.474) against the Oaks, and for the season they lead the CCAA with a 37.4 three-point percentage.
NEARLY PERFECT
In Saturday's win, the Pioneers were a remarkable 31-for-32 on free throws. The only player to miss from the charity stripe was Samuels, who went 9-for-10 in the game. For the season, East Bay ranks second in the conference in foul shooting at 74.0 percent.
LEADING THE PACK
Following a 28-point effort and an18-point effort, Kindred las led the Pioneers in scoring five straight games, and his scoring average of 19.7 points per game ranks fifth in the CCAA. The Oakland native also leads the conference in steals (14) and made free throws (71), and he ranks seventh in foul shooting (.836) and eighth in three-point shooting (.462).
SHARP SHOOTING
Grieves was an impressive 5-for-7 from long distance in Monday's victory. The transfer from San Jose State has now scored in double figures in four of the last five games, and 79 of his 95 points this season have come via three-pointers. For the season, Grieves leads the CCAA in three-point percentage at .561.
CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
With his third bucket of Saturday's game, Samuels became the third-leading scorer in Cal State East Bay history. Heading into this weekend, the senior has scored 1,139 career points (258 behind Stan Cherry in second place). He also ranks sixth all-time with 248 assists and ninth with 339 rebounds. This season, Samuels has scored in double figures in seven of nine games and leads the team with 33 assists.
SCOUTNG CSUMB
Cal State Monterey Bay has not played since losing at East Bay last weekend. Senior Ryan Nitz scored 26 points (10-16 FG) and had five steals in that game, and he leads the Otters in scoring for the season at 20.2 points per game. Sophomore Alex Fertig's is the team's second-leading scorer, and he notched 14 points and four assists against the Pioneers. CSUMB has lost four straight games heading into Saturday's rematch.
