NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team hung tough against Division I Tennessee State down to the final seconds on Saturday night, but came up just short in a 66-61 defeat. The Pioneers are now finished with the exhibition portion of their schedule and head home to start the regular season next Saturday.

"I was extremely impressed with our team from start to finish. We played with defensive urgency and stuck together on the road. I loved our response after our game at UAB. This game allowed us to see what we can do when we share and take care of the ball, rebound, and defend with passion," said head coach Gus Argenal. 

The Pioneers started fast, opening the game with an 18-4 run that was capped off by a streak of 12 straight points. They extended their lead to 27-8 with 5:19 left in the opening half, but the Tigers heated up, started to chip-away at the lead, and went to the locker room down five at 29-24.

Pasquini hit a three pointer with 18:55 left in the second half to build the lead back to six at 32-26, but the Tigers went on an 8-0 run to take a 34-32 advantage. The Pioneers would once again have a big 10-0 run to lead 46-41 with 9:11 remaining and an exhibition victory was starting to look promising. The Tigers immediately answered with an 8-0 run of their own to take back the lead, 49-46. The Pioneers remained close to the Tigers the rest of the way and had a couple chances in the final minute to tie or take the lead, but ultimately came up just short.

"Coach (Dana) Ford's team made some crucial plays and got it done, but we are moving in the right direction," said Argenal. 

Junior transfer Jalen Richard led the way in scoring for the Pioneers, pouring in 17 points. Senior Alex Carmon had 12 points to go along with five rebounds and a gamne-high six assists.

Pasquini and junior transfer Pierre Carter poatsed 11 and nine points, respectively. Pasquini also had a game-high 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.

Cal State East Bay shot 35.7% from the field (20-56). They were solid at the charity stripe connecting on 13-16 free throws (81.3%), and they shot 36.4% on three pointers (8-22). The Tigers had 12 turnovers to the Pioneers 11, and they won a tight rebounding battle over East Bay 34-32.

The Tigers were led in scoring by Keron Deshields, who had 21 points. Wayne Martin had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Pioneers will host their regular season and home opener next Saturday, Nov. 14, against Montana State Billings as part of the CCAA/GNAC Pioneer Challenge. The opening tip is set for 6:00 P.M.