HAYWARD, Calif. -- In front of a raucous crowd of more than 1,000 at Pioneer Gym, the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team defeated visiting San Francisco State, 61-53, on Saturday night to close out Homecoming Week.

The Pioneers (5-17, 3-13 CCAA) buried 38 percent of their three-pointers and turned in one of their best defensive efforts of the season to snap an eight-game losing streak. 

East Bay opened the game with one of the most remarkable first halves in recent memory. Defensively, they had their best 20 minutes of the season, holding SF State to 19 points and 38 percent shooting. Offensively, they attempted 21 three-pointers and just two shots from inside the arc. They scored all 27 of their first-half points from long distance, led by Jacari Whitfield and Marcus Norman with three triples each.

Despite starting the game with just eight healthy players, the Pioneers managed to hold off SF State's second-half comeback attempts, thanks in large part to the Gators going 6-for-21 on three-pointers. The visitors cut the lead to five with eight minutes left in the game, but East Bay answered right back as Norman and Nick Grieves scored putback layups on consecutive possessions. CSUEB committed just eight turnovers for the game and fed off an increasingly loud audience to hang on for the win.

Grieves led all scorers with 17 points, going 5-for-10 from long range. Whitfield added 14 points, four rebounds, and a team-high seven assists. Perhaps more impressively, the senior played all 40 minutes for the Pioneers and didn't commit a single turnover.

Norman also reached double figures, notching 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Cody Kale added eight points, and Kyle Frakes led the squad with eight rebounds despite playing just 15 minutes with foul trouble. 

Patrick Marr scored five points and grabbed six boards, and Paramvir Singh tallied three points and three rebounds making his second straight start. He knocked down the very first bucket of the game to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead, and they never trailed after that.

Cal State East Bay is back in action next weekend as the team continues its California Collegiate Athletic Association schedule. They will attempt to carry this momentum with them down to Southern California when they take on Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills next Friday and Saturday.