HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team begins 2015 with a pair of tough road games as they continue their California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule. The Pioneers visit local rival San Francisco State on Friday night, followed by first-place Sonoma State on Saturday. Tip-off for both contests is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. following the women's games.

WEEKLY RECAP
East Bay has played just once since splitting two games with Cal State Monterey Bay on Dec. 13 and 20. The squad traveled south earlier this week for the last of five games on the 2014-15 schedule against Division I opponents. The Pioneers fell on the road to Cal State Fullerton by a score of 77-45. They kept the game tight in the early going, but ultimately weren't able to overcome a .288 team shooting percentage. 

Freshman Patrick Marr led CSUEB with 11 points in the loss. Junior Jack Pasquini pulled in nine rebounds, and senior Cody Kale dished out a team-high five assists.

CLIMBING THE RANKS
Pasquini continues to lead the CCAA in rebounding with an average of 8.8 per game. The Scotts Valley native was recorded at least six boards in all 10 games as a Pioneer, reaching double figures four times.

Senior Jacari Whitfield became CSUEB's all-time leader in career three-pointers in the team's overtime loss to Menlo earlier this season. He went 2-for-3 against Fullerton, bringing his career total to 152. Whitfield leads the team shooting 40.5 percent from beyond the arc this season. He's tied for third among CCAA players with 34 assists so far this season, and he's fourth with a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio. Whitfield also enters this weekend with 265 career assists, which ranks seventh in school history, just six behind Mike Wood in sixth place.

The San Francisco native also ranks second in school history with a free throw percentage of .839 (99-for-118). This season, he's 14-for-17 at the line (.824). That number is second-best on the team, trailing senior Jarred Jourdan, who ranks second in the conference at 88.9 percent (24-for-27).

Current CCAA Standings
CCAA Statistical Leaders

GUAGING THE GATORS
SF State picked up impressive victories over Dominican, Humboldt State, and Cal State San Bernardino before losing back-to-back tight games to Sonoma State prior to the holidays. The Gators are shooting 44.6 percent from the field, and they have the top scoring defense in the CCAA, holding opponents to 60.1 points per game. Udun Osakue (11.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 59.1% FG) and Derrick Brown (10.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) are the Gators' top scorers, and point guard Bren Haley (7.6 ppg, 4.0 apg) leads the team in minutes and assists. Cal State East Bay is 1-9 vs. SF State since joining the CCAA in 2010.

SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
Sonoma State has won six in a row, and they're undefeated in conference play after edging out the Gators, 56-54 and 55-51, in their last two games. The Seawolves lead the CCAA in field goal percentage (.504), three-point shooting (.441), and free throw shooting (.741), and they hold opponents to the lowest three-point percentage in the league. Four SSU players average in double figures, led by junior James Davis, who leads the CCAA in scoring (17.7 ppg) and three-point shooting (60.7 percent). The Pioneers are 5-5 against Sonoma State as members of the conference, and the squads split two games last season.

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