HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team pulled away late for a 68-46 non-conference victory over Holy Names at Pioneer Gym on Wednesday evening.
After the Hawks (2-10, 1-3 PacWest) scored 11 straight to make it a two-point game midway through the second half, the Pioneers (5-6, 1-3 CCAA) answered with 18 straight to seal the victory. East Bay closed the game on a 22-2 run over the final nine minutes.
"Tonight was a good win for us," said head coach
Gus Argenal. "Coach Sanchez's team has no quit in them. We knew they would make a run, and we would have to step up to the challenge. We responded with our defense and had some guys make big plays down the stretch."
Senior
Ryan Okwudibonye posted his first double-double of the season with 22 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. He was dominant in the interior, going 9-for-10 from the floor.
Alex Carmon added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Pioneers, who shot 45.5 percent from the field for the game. The team was hot early, hitting at 56.5 percent in the first half and taking a nine-point lead into the break.
Jordan Balser scored eight of his nine points in the first half, helping CSUEB grab its early lead. He knocked down a pair of three-pointers, as did
Patrick Marr, which finished with eight points and six rebounds.
Jalen Richard also notched eight points, aided by a 6-for-6 performance at the free throw line, and led the team with three steals.
Tre Mauldin paced the squad with three assists, and
Robert Garrett came off the bench to record a pair of blocks.
Defensively, East Bay held the Hawks to 32.7 percent shooting and finished with a 36-26 rebounding advantage.
"Carmon played his most complete game, as did Okwudibonye," said Argenal. "We were also added by the steady play of Balser and Marr off the bench. I like how we are rebounding and defending at this point, and we need to continue to focus on that area going forward."
HNU's Joshua Krums led all scorers with 26 points in the game on 9-for-20 from the field, accounting for more than half of his team's point total.
East Bay is back in action on New Year's Day, hosting conference rival SF State at 4 p.m.
