Box Score ARCATA, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team lost on the road Saturday night, 77-69, at the hands of Humboldt State (11-11, 7-11 CCAA). The Pioneers (5-17, 4-14) led by as many as 11 points in the second half, but they fell victim to a late scoring run by the Jacks. The two teams split their season series, each winning at home, while the loss pushes East Bay's skid to 11 games.

This was an extremely tight game in the early going. East Bay led for much of the first half, but neither team was able to pull away by more than four points. The Jacks rattled off seven straight points in the last two minutes before halftime to take a narrow 31-28 lead into the break. The Pioneers shot 32.3 percent in the half, compared to 41.7 percent for Humboldt State.

The second half saw both squads roll off scoring runs, but it was the home team that came out on top when the dust settled. The teams continued to trade buckets until about 10 minutes were left in the game. With Humboldt State leading 49-45, the Pioneers went on a 15-0 run to take a 60-49 lead with just over six minutes to play. Vincent Capellino hit a couple jumpers, and sophomore Tre Mauldin was 5-for-5 from the free throw line during the four-minute stretch, picking up two steals and an assist.

With a large home crowd behind them, the Jacks rallied in the last few minutes. They answered with a devastating 20-2 run of their own and took their biggest lead of the game, 70-62, with just over a minute left on the clock. The Pioneers didn't have time to mount a comeback after that, losing by the final score of 77-69.

It was a frustrating defeat for the Pioneers, who statistically played one of their better road games of the year and one of their best games of the losing streak. Part of the reason East Bay couldn't hang onto its 11-point lead late in the game is that Humboldt State started getting to the free throw line at will. As has been an ongoing issue for the Pioneers, their opponents attempted more than twice as many free throws as them.

The Jacks shot an impressive 28-for-33 from the foul line, led by Austin Bryan who led all scorers with 17 points and was 11-of-11 from the stripe. Humboldt shot 45.8 percent from the field as a team, topping the Pioneers, who finished at 41.0 percent. Both teams shot exactly 50 percent in the second half. East Bay finished 7-for-21 from three-point range and 12-for-16 from the foul line.

A trio of Pioneers reached double figures in scoring in the game. Seniors Capellino and Jurrell Turner tied for the team lead with 12 points apiece. Turner was an efficient 5-for-6 from the field and grabbed four rebounds. Capellino shot 6-for-10, adding two steals, two assists, and five rebounds, including a team-high three offensive boards.

Jacari Whitfield posted 10 points and led the team with three steals. The sophomore guard also matched his season high with six assists to lead all players in this game. Senior Nick Marshall finished with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds, knocking down 3-of-4 shots from the floor. Mauldin and Jason Smith each scored eight points for East Bay, as well. Gabe Kindred added five points and four rebounds, and Ota Okungbowa added four points off the bench.

The Pioneers head south next week to embark on their final road trip of the year. The team will visit UC San Diego on Friday night, followed by second-place Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, with both tip-offs set for 7:30 p.m.