Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. -- Saturday night at Pioneer Gym was a memorable experience, although the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team fell short in its bid to upset Chico State. The Wildcats (19-5, 15-5 CCAA) ended the game on a 17-6 run to pull away with the 70-56 victory over the Pioneers (7-19, 4-16 CCAA), who have now dropped nine straight.

Prior to the game, East Bay held a brief, but emotional ceremony to honor the five seniors who were competing at home for the final time. A large crowd full of friends and family was present as the Pioneers celebrated the careers of Kenneth Farr II, Ryan Hebebrand, Donavon Jackson, Gabe Kindred, and Mark Samuels. 

"I am so proud of our seniors and our team," said head coach Gus Argenal. "We played with tremendous heart and pride. Coach Clink's team made some big plays at the end of the game to really seperate things, but I appreciate the way we responded to the challenge of playing one of the country's top teams." 

Chico State started and finished the game on large scoring runs, but the final score doesn't illustrate how tight the game was for most of the second half. After the Wildcats grabbed a 19-8 lead at the outset, the Pioneers clawed back to tie it 25-25 on a couple of big shots by Kindred and Jacari Whitfield. That really got the crowd into the game, and the teams went into halftime with Chico clinging to a 33-31 lead.

The Wildcats started to heat up coming out of the break and extended their advantage to nine, but the Pioneers fought to keep them from pulling away. Jackson and Jarred Jourdan traded buckets with Chico as the Pioneers came back to within three at 53-50.

From there, Chico finally began to take control of the game. Neither team shot particularly efficiently for the game and each made just 20 total field goals, with the Wildcats shooting 42.6 percent and the Pioneers finishing at 31.5 percent. The visitors sealed the victory at the free throw line. For the game, Chico shot 25 more free throws than the Pioneers, who were called for 28 personal fouls. 

East Bay struggled from long range, making just three of their 20 three-point attempts.

Hebebrand celebrated Senior Night with eight points and a career-high 14 rebounds. It was one of the best performances of the season for the Livermore native, who played 37 minutes and grabbed seven boards on the offensive end.

Whitfield finished with a team-best 13 points in the loss. Jourdan added 10 points and paced the squad with three assists. The pair combined to go 8-for-9 from the free throw line, but just 7-for-24 from the field.  

Jackson notched nine points and four rebounds in 35 minutes in his final home game after four years in an East Bay uniform. Kindred finished with eight points, and junior Nick Grieves added six. 

The Pioneers finish up the season with a pair of road games next weekend. They visit San Francisco State on Friday, Feb. 28 and close out the 2013-14 slate at Sonoma State on Saturday, Mar. 1.