HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team was outlasted by Stanislaus State on Saturday night by a final score of 54-50 in the final California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) game of the 2015 calendar year.
Both teams struggled to shoot the ball in the low-scoring contest, with the Pioneers hitting just 28 percent from the field and going 4-for-21 from long distance. They trailed by as many as 12 late in the second half, but rallied back within two with the help of some effective full-court pressure defense. Ultimately, the comeback fell just short as East Bay dropped to 4-6 overall and 1-3 in the CCAA.
Three Pioneers scored in double figures, led by senior
Ryan Okwudibonye with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Alex Carmon netted 12 points and six boards, and
Jordan Balser came off the bench to score a career-high 11, going 4-for-7 from the floor and knocking down three long balls
East Bay's defense was up to the task, holding the Warriors to 39 percent shooting and out-rebounding the visitors 39 to 35. However, the Pioneers had difficulty getting into their offensive rhythm throughout the night. They scored just 19 points in the first half, and Pioneers not named Balser finished 1-for-17 from three-point range.
The teams combined for 27 turnovers in what turned into an extremely phycial game. Stanislaus was successful in forcing the Pioneers to take tough shots and didn't commit a single personal foul through the first 12 minutes of the second half.
East Bay was perfect at the free throw line for the night (14-for-14), led by
Jalen Richard, who scored six of his eight points at the charity stripe. The Pionees took advanatge on some shaky Warrior free throw shooting (12-for-20), which allowed them to rally back in the final minutes. But the home team simply ran out of clock in a game that saw 22 total points scored in the final 45 seconds.
The Pioneers now have a week off to celebrate the holidays before returning home for a non-conference game against Holy Names on Dec. 30 at 7 p.m.
