Friday, Jan. 31
7:30 p.m. @ Cal State L.A. (10-6, 7-5 CCAA)
Eagles Nest • Los Angeles, Calif.
Live Stats • Live Video
Saturday, Feb. 1
7:30 p.m. @ Cal State Dominguez Hills (5-14, 2-10 CCAA)
The Torodome • Carson, Calif.
Live Stats • Live Video
HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team hits the road this weekend to start the second half of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play against a pair of Southern California squads. The Pioneers (7-11, 4-8 CCAA) visit Cal State L.A. on Friday night, followed by Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday night. Both games will have live video streaming available through the above links.
WEEKLY RECAP
The Pioneers had a brief two-game homestand last weekend following four straight on the road, and they managed to pick up a split on Homecoming weekend. East Bay pulled off a late comeback on Friday night in front of a huge crowd to edge out Sonoma State, 71-69, behind 23 points from
Gabe Kindred. The next night, they came up just short in the annual "Battle of the Bay," falling to San Francisco State, 71-64, despite six three-points from
Jacari Whitfield.
PIONEER POINTS
East Bay enters the weekend as the third-highest scoring team in the CCAA at 73.2 points per game in conference play. They also rank second in the conference in both three-point percentage (.369) and free throw shooting (.728).
Kindred had scored in double figures in the first 17 games of the season prior to his eight-point performance against the Gators. He currently ranks in the CCAA in scoring at 19.7 points per game during league play. He also leads the conference in made free throws with 124 and ranks second in three point shooting percentage (.473). The senior needs to hit just one more foul shot to match the single-season school record.
Junior
Nick Grieves ranks third in the CCAA in three-point percentage (.449) and made three's (40). Whitfield, meanwhile, has knocked down the most three-pointers in the conference with 45 for the season. He's been red-hot lately, shooting 58.4 percent (14-for-24) from long range over his last three games.
Senior
Mark Samuels ranks fifth in the CCAA in assists at 3.6 per game. He also ranks third all-time in CSUEB history with 1,273 career points, fifth with 280 assists, and eighth with 377 rebounds.
STANDINGS WATCH
The Pioneers enter the weekend tied for eighth place in the
CCAA Standings at 4-8. They are currently three games behind Cal State Stanislaus, Cal State L.A. and SF State, which are all 7-5 and occupying the final playoff spots.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
The Pioneers lost a tight 78-74 game to Cal State L.A. when the teams met earlier in the season in Hayward. Last time East Bay traveled to Los Angeles, they picked up a 54-45 upset victory. The Golden Eagles lead the CCAA in rebounding, but they rank last in field goal percentage (.408) and ninth in scoring (68.1 points per game). Quinton Watkins (18.5 ppg) and James Tillman (15.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg) are both having big years for CSULA. Tillman scored 35 points in the win over East Bay back in December.
TRACKING THE TOROS
Cal State Dominguez Hills enters the weekend having lost seven straight and 10 of its last 11. The Toros are the lowest-scoring team in the conference at 65.2 ppg, and they're getting beaten by nearly 10 points per game in league play. Givon Crump is the team's leading scorer at 12.2 points per game. The Pioneers defeated CSUDH 69-64 when the teams played in Hayward earlier this season. It was their first win over the Toros in five seasons since joining the CCAA.
