Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. — The Pioneer men lost a heartbreaker at home to Chico State (16-9, 13-8 CCAA) on Thursday Night by the final score of 67-66. Cal State East Bay (7-18, 6-15 CCAA) played 36 great minutes and led by as many as 13 in the second half, but the Wildcats closed the game on a 12-0 run to capture the thrilling victory. The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for the Pioneers, who will wrap up the season tomorrow on Senior Night. 

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams shooting well from the field. Chico State scored nine straight to grab an 18-13 lead midway through the period, but the Pioneers answered back, scoring six straight of their own to regain the lead. The Wildcats made another mini-run near the end of the half, scoring seven points in a row to go up 37-32. East Bay had the last word of the half, though, netting the final three points to cut it to 37-35 at recess. The Pioneers out-shot Chico 55.6 percent to 46.4 percent in the opening frame, and junior Ryan Hebebrand led all scorers with 12 points.

The Pioneers came out strong after halftime, quickly regaining the lead. They scored the first 10 points of the half to grab an eight-point advantage. East Bay stretched its lead out to double digits for the first time when Jason Smith's back-to-back three-pointers made it 51-38 with 15 minutes remaining. The teams then traded baskets for much of the half as the Pioneers held off Chico's attempt at a comeback. Jurrell Turner's layup with 4:33 left on the clock gave East Bay a 66-55 lead, but unfortunately, it was all downhill from there.

The Wildcats picked up their defensive intensity coming out of the final media timeout. They slowed the pace down and held the Pioneers, who were in clock-killing mode, without a basket for the remainder of the game. With one minute left, Damario Sims hit a three-pointer to pull the Wildcats within one at 66-65. After Gabe Kindred missed a fade-away jumper, Chico had a chance for the final shot. Jordan Semple, who had a game-high 20 points, took the inbounds pass with 13 seconds remaining, drove into the lane, and got his shot to bounce home with 1.6 seconds left. Jacari Whitfield's half-court prayer missed the mark at the buzzer, giving the Wildcats the dramatic 67-66 win.

The Pioneers ended up out-shooting their opponents 47.1 percent to 40.4 percent, and they knocked down 5-of-11 three-pointers (45.5 percent). The team had a frustrating night at the free throw line, shooting just 59.1 percent (13-for-22) in the one-point loss. The Wildcats dominated the glass in this game, taking advantage of a size mismatch to out-rebound East Bay 43 to 26.

Hebebrand paced the Pioneers and nearly matched his season high with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He grabbed six rebounds, including three on the offensive end. Turner scored 15 points, 11 of which came in the second half. The senior finished 5-for-11 from the floor. Kindred was the third Pioneer to score in double figures, totaling 14 points to go with three assists and two steals.

Smith added eight points; the senior was 2-for-3 on triples and 2-for-2 from the stripe. He needs three more three-pointers tomorrow to move into second place on the all-time Pioneer career list. Whitfield also knocked down a pair of long balls to finish with six points, three assists, and three boards. Senior Vincent Capellino notched five points and four rebounds.

Tomorrow night is the regular season finale as the Pioneers welcome in Cal State Stanislaus. There will be a short ceremony before the 7:30 p.m. tip-off honoring the four seniors on the 2012-13 squad: Capellino, Smith, Turner, and Nick Marshall.