Box Score ARCATA, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team nearly erased an 18-point second-half deficit Thursday night at Humboldt State, but ultimately fell short, losing 84-80 at Lumberjack Arena. Four players scored in double figures for the Pioneers (7-14, 4-11 CCAA), who shot the ball well as a team. East Bay is still in search of its first road victory in the CCAA, however.

The Pioneers made 46.2 percent of their field goals, 47.6 percent (10-21) of their three-pointers, and a remarkable 88 percent (22-25) of their free throws. It just wasn't quite enough to overcome a hot Jacks team that posted a 53.4 team field goal percentage, scored 36 points in the paint, and out-rebounded the Pioneers 31 to 27.

"Humboldt made timely plays throughout the game, and we couldn't quite get over the hump," said head coach Gus Argenal. "This group has battled at an extremely high level every game, but we need consistent focus on the defensive end."

Gabe Kindred paced the Pioneers with 20 points to go along with four steals, four assists, and four rebounds. The senior helped initiate East Bay's late comeback by forcing turnovers and getting to the free throw line down the stretch. He finished 5-for-11 from the floor and 9-for-10 from the stripe, posting his team-leading eighth 20-point game of the season.

Fellow Oakland native Jarred Jourdan was a consistent scoring threat for East Bay as well, notching 19 points one game after scoring a season high of 20 at CSUDH. Jourdan was 6-for-14 shooting with three assists and three boards, and he had his best free-throw shooting game this season, making 6-of-7.

Nick Grieves went 3-for-6 from long distance and scored 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half. The junior was a perfect 4-for-4 at the line in 25 minutes off the bench. Also giving the Pioneers quality bench minutes was Donavon Jackson, who had a hot hand in his 26 minutes. Jackson scored 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 3-for-3 on triples.

Jacari Whitfield added six points and a team-high five assists. Freshman center Kyle Frakes scored five points and led all players with five rebounds. Ryan Hebebrand, East Bay's other frontcourt starter, grabbed three boards.

Senior Kenneth Farr II was also active on the glass, notching three rebounds in just three minutes of court time. The Pioneers were without senior Mark Samuels, who missed his second straight game with an injury.

Humboldt State led 39-36 at the break as both teams shot over 50 percent in the first half. The Jacks then came out and scored the first seven points of the second half to take a double-digit lead. The home team eventually stretched its lead to 17 points with eight minutes left to play, and things looked grim for East Bay.

However, back-to-back three-pointers by Jackson gave the Pioneers some life, and they rattled off a 16-2 scoring run to cut their deficit to three. East Bay couldn't manage to get any closer, though, as the Jacks had an answer for every Pioneer bucket in the final three minutes. 

CSUEB has Friday off to drive home and jump on a plane for SoCal before taking on No. 18 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday night..