TURLOCK, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team fell on the road to Cal State Stanislaus by a final score of 77-63 on Friday night in the penultimate game of the 2014-15 regular season.
Despite the loss, it was a career night for a pair of Pioneer seniors.
Jacari Whitfield led all scorers for the night and set a career high with 26 points in 39 minutes. He went 9-for-19 from the field, grabbed five rebounds, and knocked down four three-pointers. Whitfield is also just six assists shy of breaking East Bay's program record with one game left.
Cody Kale notched his first collegiate double-double with 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while playing all 40 minutes. He went 6-for-11 from the floor and also contributed three assists and two steals.
Both guards have had strong finishes to their careers down the stretch this season. Kale has scored in double figures in seven of the last 10 games, during which time he's shooting 50 percent from the field and averaging five rebounds. Whitfield, meanwhile, reached double figures for the 10th straight contest tonight. Over that span, he's averaging 15.2 points and 4.9 assists per game.
The Pioneers never led after the first minute of play, but they managed to stay relatively close to the defending CCAA tournament champion Warriors, who have already secured their second straight postseason bid. For the game, Stanislaus edged out East Bay in team field goal percentage (44 to 39 percent) and rebounds (36 to 33).
"Coach Reynolds has a team that's accustomed to winning, and tonight they did what they do best: rebound and defend," said head coach
Gus Argenal. "Turnovers early in games have been an Achilles' heel for us, and that was the case tonight. I am extremely proud of the way Jacari and Cody played, however. They carried us with their scoring, rebounding, and leadership."
Freshman
Patrick Marr posted seven points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes. He has been one of the league's top rebounders since junior forward
Jack Pasquini suffered a season-ending injury midway through the season.
Kyle Frakes added seven points and five boards, three of which came on the offensive end. The sophomore went 3-for-4 at the free throw line. Senior
Nick Grieves buried a pair of long balls and grabbed three rebounds in 31 minutes.
"Tomorrow we are going to have to step up in order to compete in one of the toughest environments in this league," Argenal added.
Cal State East Bay concludes the season on Saturday night, Feb. 28, by visiting Chico State, which is currently tied for first place in the CCAA standings.
