Box Score POMONA, Calif. — The Pioneers' bid for a Valentine's Day road upset was thwarted by No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona Thursday night. The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team (5-16, 4-13 CCAA) fell to the first-place Broncos (20-1, 16-1 CCAA) by the score of 71-56. The win extends a 10-game winning streak for Cal Poly Pomona, while East Bay's losing skid reaches that same number.

The Pioneers would keep the score relatively close by the end of this game, but it didn't start out like that. The Broncos took control early and opened the game with a huge scoring run. By the midway point of the first half, East Bay only had one made field goal, and Pomona grabbed a commanding 28-4 lead. The Pioneers finally got some shots to fall in the final four minutes before the half, as Jacari Whitfield knocked down consecutive three-pointers and Gabe Kinded scored eight quick points. Even after Nick Marshall got a steal and dunked it home right before the first-half buzzer for his only points of the night, the Pioneers were only able to cut the lead to 13 at 40-27.

Any chance the Pioneers had of mounting a comeback against the Broncos faded away in the early part of the second half. The top-ranked Cal Poly Pomona defense once again stymied East Bay for a long stretch, not allowing them to score for the first six minutes after halftime. The Broncos opened the second half on a 14-0 run that pushed their lead up to 27 points. From that point, both teams utilized their benches down the stretch, and the Pioneers were able to do some good things on offense, getting everyone involved, but they never got closer than the 13-point halftime deficit.

East Bay shot 39.3 percent from the floor, their best team mark in two weeks, thanks to a respectable 44.4 shooting in the second half. The Broncos, however, shot the lights out at a 57.7 percent clip in the first half and finished at 47.1 percent for the game, right about their season average. East Bay was out-rebounded 38 to 31, but the real statistical discrepancy was at the free throw line. The Pioneers attempted just 10 free throws, compared to 29 for Cal Poly Pomona.

Senior Vincent Capellino was the only Pioneer to reach double figures, as he led the team with 10 points and eight rebounds on 5-of-8 from the floor. Kindred and fellow junior Ryan Hebebrand each scored eight points off the bench. Whitfield and senior backcourt partner Jason Smith both hit a couple of triples to finish at six points. Smith has now made 37 three-pointers on the season and 110 for this career, which places him fourth on the all-time list at CSUEB. Whitfield added a team-high three assists in the game.

Jurrell Turner notched four points and three boards, while Ota Okungbowa scored four and grabbed four rebounds. Also scoring four points apiece were Donavon Jackson and Kenneth Farr II. Farr was 2-for-2 from the field, adding a rebound and two assists. The junior set new season highs for points and minutes played (11) in Thursday's game.

A trio of Broncos posted double figures in scoring, led by Mitchell Anderson and Terrance Drisdom with 18 points each.

The Pioneers have Friday off to make the trek from Pomona all the way up to Arcata for a Saturday showdown with Humboldt State. East Bay will look to get back on the winning side, having already beaten the Jacks 78-70 earlier this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 at what is sure to be a packed house at Lumberjack Gym.