Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team fell to visiting San Francisco State by a score of 71-64 on Saturday night. It's just the third home loss of the season for the Pioneers, who fall to 7-11 overall and 4-8 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play. The teams combined to hit 19 three-pointers, as the Gators (9-6, 7-5 CCAA) won their second straight "Battle of the Bay."

"It was a typical Saturday night in the CCAA, an absolute battle," said Pioneer head coach Gus Argenal after the game. "We couldn't make enough plays on both ends, and SF State came up with the big ones. Paul Trevor has built an extremely competitive program there, my hat goes off to the Gators."

It felt like a constant barage of three-pointers at Pioneer Gym, but no player was hotter than junior Jacari Whitfield, who buried six of his first seven triples and finished with a team-high 18 points. Over his last three games, the San Francisco native is shooting 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from long distance and averaging 17.0 points per game.

Freshman center Kyle Frakes played another solid game as East Bay's primary big man. His finished with 11 points, two steals, and a team-best five rebounds, going 4-for-5 from the floor with several impressive finishes at the rim. East Bay's other frontcourt starter, senior Ryan Hebebrand, notched three points and four boards.

Nick Grieves was the only other Pioneer to reach double figures in scoring. The junior knocked down four three-pointers and posted 12 points in 23 minutes off the bench. 

East Bay's two leading scorers coming into the game, seniors Gabe Kindred and Mark Samuels, were both held relatively in check with eight points each. Kindred grabbed four boards, and Samuels led the squad with five assists and three steals.

Donavon Jackson had four rebounds off the bench, and Kenneth Farr II grabbed three. Both seniors notched two points in front of a loud Homecoming crowd at Pioneer Gym. 

The Gators had somewhat of a size advantage over the Pioneers, and it showed in their 34-24 edge in rebounding. Nonetheless, the home squad was able to keep it a tight game with effective ball movement and good outside shooting. 

The Pioneers trailed by as many as 12 early in the game, but they rattled off a 9-2 run to thanks to a defense that created 17 turnovers and clung to a single-digit deficit nearly the entire game after that. They briefly took the lead midway through the second half and still had a chance to win in the final minutes, but couldn't quite muster the final scoring run they needed. Ultimately, SF State was able to match the Pioneers shot for shot, finishing at 55.8 percent from the field and 45 percent from three.

The Gators and Pioneers came into the game ranked first and second in the CCAA, respectively, in team free throw percentage. Though the Gators attempted nearly twice as many foul shots, neither squad had a particularly stellar performance at the line in this game. SF State finished at .519 (14-27) and East Bay checked in at .667 (10-15). Nonetheless, Kindred sunk four more and is now just one shy of matching the single-season school record of 125 made free throws. 

The Pioneers are back on the road for the next two weekends, starting with a trip to Los Angeles to take on Cal State L.A. on Friday, Jan. 31 and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday, Feb. 1.