HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Pioneer men's basketball team returns home this weekend after a four-game road trip in which they reached every corner of California. Cal State East Bay (7-15, 4-12 CCAA) has dropped five straight, but posted a solid record of 6-3 at Pioneer Gym, where they'll host No. 17 Cal State San Bernardino on Friday night at 7 p.m. in a Valentine's Day showdown. The Pioneers will be back in action on Saturday for "Think Pink" night against UC San Diego at 7:30 p.m.
WEEKLY RECAP
East Bay faced a tough stretch of travel last week as the team drove up to Arcata on Thursday and suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Humboldt State, 84-80.
Gabe Kindred scored 20 points,
Jarred Jourdan added 19, the Pioneers shot 47.6 percent from three, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Jacks, who shot 53.4 percent for the game.
After a long drive home and a plane ride south, East Bay visited No. 18 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday night. The nation's top scoring defense proved a tough task for the Pioneers, who made 32.1 percent of their field goals and didn't have a player score in double figures for the first time this season.
PIONEER POINTS
Despite a recent cold streak, CSUEB is still the fourth-highest scoring team in the CCAA at 74.8 points per game, and they lead the conference in free throw shooting with a .753 mark in league play. No team can match the Pioneers in terms of pace, as they lead all CCAA teams in field goal attempts per game.
Kindred leads the conference in three-point percentage (.462) and made free throws, extending his school record to 139 this past weekend. The Oakland native is also the fourth-leading scorer in the CCAA at 17.8 points per game.
The Pioneers have been without
Mark Samuels, the team's second-leading scorer at 13.5 point per game, since he suffered an injury four games ago. The senior currently ranks third on the school's all-time career scoring list.
Jacari Whitfield is the only other Pioneer averging double figures at 10.5 points per game. He's taken the most three-pointers in the CCAA and made the second-most (51).Â
Jourdan has stepped up offensively the last few games, averaging 31.7 minutes and 16.0 points per game over the last three contests. The junior transfer also grabbed seven rebounds and knocked down 73.3 percent of his free throws last weekend.
Senior
Ryan Hebebrand had his fifth double-digit rebound game of the season with 11 against Cal Poly Pomona, and he nows ranks sixth in the conference averaging 6.4 per game.
SCOUTING SAN BERNARDINO
The Coyotes have lost two of their last three, to Cal Poly Pomona and Chico State, sandwiched around a narrow 77-75 win over Stanislaus. Nonetheless, they lead the CCAA in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point shooting, assists, steals, and blocks. CSUSB has four players averaging over 12 points per game, led by Jordan Burris (16.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Andrew Young (14.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 58.4% FG). Senior Lacy Haddock (12.5 ppg, 6.9 apg) is the conference's top point guard. The Pioneers lost 91-74 when they visited San Bernardino earlier this year.
SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO
The Tritons are hot, having won five of six, including two-point victories over both Chico State and Stanisaus on the road last weekend. They're just 3-4 on the road this season and they lead the CCAA in turnover, but they defeated East Bay 80-70 when the teams last met. The Pioneers and UCSD are the top two teams in the league in terms of three-point attempts. James McCann (15.6 ppg, 6.2 apg, 4.2 rpg) has been one of the conference's top players, and Drew Dyer (12.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Mackenzi McCullough (10.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg) are also averaging double figures.
