HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team was trailing 35-32 with 13:55 remaining in the game when an 8-0 run gave the Pioneers a five-point lead they wouldn't surrender in a 64-50 opening night victory Saturday against Montana State Billings at Pioneer Gymnasium. The Pioneers are now 1-0 on the new season, while the Yellowjackets fall to 0-2.

The first half was extremely tight between the two teams, as the Pioneers went to the break down 24-22 with a  28.6 shooting percentage. The close battle would continue early in the second half until the aforementioned 8-0 run. The Pioneers would go on to outscore the Yellowjackets 42-26 in the final 20 minutes.   

"Coach (Jaime) Stephens and his team compete extremely hard, and this was a battle for 40 minutes," said head coach Gus Argenal. "I was proud of our team's defensive effort and the fact that our offensive struggles did not impact our mindset. I like how we stuck together and made some big plays down the stretch."

The Pioneers shot 40% (22-55) from the field, including 51.9% in the second half. East Bay's defense, meanwhile, held the Yellowjackets to just 24.4 percent (11-45) from the floor. A big factor in the Pioneers' victory was their ability to score around the rim, as they topped the Billings 28-14 in that category.

Junior newcomers Jalen Richard led the Pioneers in scoring with 13 points for the night. Senior Ryan Okwudibonye had 11 points and eight rebounds, doing most of his damage in the first half to kickstart East Bay's offense.

Redshirt freshman Alex Manu poured in 12 points off the bench, going 6-6 from the free throw line in his first collegiate game. Senior Jack Pasquini had four points and seven rebounds, and junior Pierre Carter added seven points on 3-for-5 shooting.

Sophomore Patrick Marr impressed with eight points, seven boards, and a team-high three blocks in 265 minutes. Junior Tre Mauldin got the start in his final season opener, posting five points and three assists. 

Marc Matthews had a game-high 18 points for the Yellowjackets, and Emmanuel Johnson also reached double figures with 14 points.

Next up, East Bay hits the road for their second game of the season on Thursday, Nov. 19 at California Baptist, the top-ranked team in the West Region. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.