SAN FRANCISCO -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team came up short in its bid for a road victory on Friday night, falling 70-57 to San Francisco State in the first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) game of 2015.

Three Pioneers scored in double figures, led by senior Nick Grieves, who knocked down 5-of-7 from long range to finish with 15 points.

"SF State did a great job controlling the tempo and playing to their strengths," saod head coach Gus Argenal. "We didn't rebound or defend at the level necessary to be successful, and we didn't come up with the toughness plays that it takes to win on the road in this league."

It was a tight game for most of the first half, as the squads traded leads several times. With the score 17-17, SF State went on a quick run to grab a six-point lead, but sophomore Kyle Frakes answered with a traditional three-point play to pull back within three.

The Gators started to heat up late in the first behind big man Udun Osakue, who finished with a game-high 19 points. They extended their lead to eight before Grieves buried a three in the final minute to send the Pioneers to halftime with a five-point deficit. The Aptos native scored 12 of East Bay's 26 points in the opening frame.

SF State prevented any second half drama as they held the advantage for the last 27 minutes of game time. The Gators shot 54 percent from the field in the second half and went 14-for-18 from the free throw line to extend their lead to double figures and hold off any Pioneer comebacks.

The home team ended up out-rebounding East Bay 35 to 26 for the game, while besting them 32 to 18 in points in the paint. The Pioneers finished at 40 percent shooting on the night, going 10-for-30 from beyond the arc.

Junior Jack Pasquini, who entered the game as the CCAA's leading rebounder, finished with 14 points, three assists, and a game-high nine rebounds, including four boards on the offensive end.

Grieves reached double figures in scoring for the fifth time this season, which matches Juawnn Springfield for the most on the team.

Senior Jacari Whitfield scored 11 points and led the Pioneers with five assists and 38 minutes played. The program's all-time leading three-point shooter went 3-for-10 from long distance on this night.

Frakes posted perhaps his best game of the 2014-15 season, reaching season highs with 22 minutes and eight points. He also grabbed five rebounds and had a perfect shooting performance, going 3-for-3 from the floor and 2-for-2 at the line.

In the backcourt, Cody Kale dished out three assists, Marcus Norman knocked down a three-pointer off the bench, and Springfield notched two points, two boards, and two assists.

CSUEB (3-8, 1-4 CCAA) in still in search of its first road victory of the season. It doesn't get any easier tomorrow, as the team heads up to Rohnert Park on Saturday night for a 7:30 p.m. game against first-place Sonoma State.