Box Score TURLOCK, Calif. -- It took a pair of overtime periods, but the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team came up just short on Saturday night, dropping a thriller at Cal State Stanislaus by the score of 89-81. The Pioneers (6-10, 3-7 CCAA) have now lost four straight and are still looking for their first road victory. The Warriors (11-3, 7-3 CCAA) improve to 8-0 at home this year.

Freshman Kyle Frakes had his most impactful night as a Pioneer, notching career highs for points (18) and minutes played (38). The Thousand Oaks native was 9-for-14 from the field, reaching double figures in scoring for the third time this season and nearly doubling his previous high of 10.

Jacari Whitfield and Gabe Kindred both scored 19 points in the loss. Kindred was typically efficient, going 6-for-12 from the floor, 2-for-3 from long distance, and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Whitfield had one of his best outside shooting nights in weeks, knocking down 5-of-7 three-pointers. 

"That was a great CCAA game," said head coach Gus Argenal. "Both sides competed and made big play after big play. We are improving and getting closer to where we want to be as a cohesive team. But Stanislaus made some huge plays late in the game, and all the credit goes to coach Reynolds and their program." 

The Pioneers shot 42.6 percent from the field and 45.8 percent (11-for-24) from beyond the arc, nearly identical to the figures posted by Stanislaus. The biggest difference in the game was that the Warriors out-rebounded East Bay 45 to 37, out-scored them in the paint 46-26, and scored 13 more points at the charity stripe. For the second straight night, the Pioneers had a significant disadvantage in free throw attempts as the Warriors took 18 more foul shots than them.

Nick Grieves finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. It was the first time leading the team in rebounding this season for the junior transfer. Grieves was 3-for-5 from long-range, including a clutch three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining in regulation that gave the Pioneers a two-point lead.

Jarred Jourdan added five points and five boards in 28 minutes off the bench. Ryan Hebebrand turned in four point and five rebounds. Fellow senior Mark Samuels had an off night shooting, finishing with four points, but he paced the squad with six assists. 

It was an extremely tight game throughout, featuring seven lead changes and nine ties, with neither team holding a lead of more than nine points. The Pioneers led by as many as seven in the opening frame, but the teams went into halftime tied at 33-33. The Warriors made a run late in the second half to take a 66-57 lead, and it looked like they were starting the pull away. However, the Pionees rallied, eventually taking the lead back on Grieves' three-pointer. Stanislaus' Sam Marcus then converted a layup on the other end with two seconds left to force overtime. 

The Warriors scored the first four points of the overtime period, but once again the Pioneers wouldn't quit. Kindred responded by hitting a pair of jumpers to tie the score at 77-77, forcing a second overtime. 

Stanislaus finally won the war of attrition, out-scoring East Bay 10-2 in the final frame. Kindred, Hebebrand, and Frakes all fouled out, and the Pioneers simply couldn't get one more big shot to fall. CCAA Player of the Year candidate Marcus Bell notched 24 points and 13 rebound for the Warriors. 

CSUEB is finally back home next weekend for a pair of crucial games against bay area rivals Sonoma State and San Francisco State, which will wrap up a weeklong Homecoming celebration at Cal State East Bay.