HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team embarks on a tough stretch of travel this week as they look to pick up their first road victory of the season. The Pioneers (7-13, 4-10 CCAA) continue conference play against Humboldt State on Thursday night. After driving back to the Bay Area and hopping on a plane Friday, the team will visit 18th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday night. Both contests are set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. and will have live streaming video courtesy of East Bay's respective opponents.
WEEKLY RECAP
The Pioneers spent last weekend in the greater Los Angeles area. On the final night of January, they took on Cal State L.A. and gave the Golden Eagles a good fight as
Nick Grieves (19 points) and
Jacari Whitfield (18 points) got hot from long distance. East Bay shot 46.6 percent as a team in the game, which was tied at halftime. CSULA pulled away with a 56-point second half, ultimately winning 89-79.
Senior
Gabe Kindred broke the school record for free throws in a single season when he made his 126th of the year in the first half. The Oakland native leads the CCAA in that category and needed just 19 games to eclipse the program record.
The following night, the rim was not friendly to the Pioneers, who shot just 33.3 percent and made 3-of-25 three-pointers in a 78-59 loss at Cal State L.A.
Jarred Jourdan set a career high with 20 points, but he was the only East Bay player in double figures. After suffering an injury during Friday's contest,
Mark Samuels missed his first game of the season on Saturday, and the offense missed his presence.
PIONEER POINTS
CSUEB has now lost seven of its last eight as the squad heads into its longest road trip of the season in terms of miles. The Pioneers are the third-highest scoring team in the CCAA during conference play at 72.6 points per game, and they get more shots off than any other team, 57.9 per contest. They're the best team in the league from the free throw line, hitting an impressive 74.9 percent of their foul shots.
Kindred ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game and second in three-point shooting. The senior is having a remarkable efficient shooting season, hitting 47.2 percent of his field goals, 46.1 percent of his threes, and 77.6 percent of his free throws. For his career, Kindred ranks sixth in school history with a .755 free throw percentage.
Whitfield and Grieves rank second and third in the CCAA, respectively, in made three-pointers. In three years, Whitfield has now made 124 three-pointers, fourth-most in school history and just 13 shy of the program record. As a team, East Bay has made 164 triples this season, easily the most in the conference.
Samuels currently sits third all-time in CSUEB history with 1,274 career points, fifth with 280 assists, eighth with 380 rebounds, and 10th with 109 steals.
SCOUTING THE JACKS
Like the Pioneers, Humboldt State likes to play at a fast pace. They're the second-highest scoring team in the CCAA at 78.5 points per game, and they just trail East Bay in free-throw shooting at 72.5 percent. David Howard (20.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 52.8% FG) is the conference's leading scorer in league play, and Allen Guei (15.8 ppg, 3.2 apg) and Jordan Mackie (11.9 ppg) both average in double figures as well. Lumberjack Arena is a tough place to win, drawing over 1,100 fans a game for CCAA contests. The Pioneers defeated HSU 89-81 back in January, but they have never beaten the Jacks in Arcata.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
Cal Poly Pomona has won 13 straight games, including a 66-52 victory over East Bay on Jan. 3, moving all the way up to No. 18 in the national rankings. They are the top defense in the nation, holding opponents to 58.4 points per game and 38.1 percent shooting. Offensively, they shoot 47.8 percent and are led by DeRonn Scott (15.4 ppg, 3.7 apg) and Jordan Faison (13.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 55.7% FG). The Broncos are 7-1 at home, with the only loss coming to No. 12 Cal State San Bernardino.
