HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team was edged out by visiting Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday at Pioneer Gym by a final score of 78-73.

The Coyotes captured the back-and-forth contest to even the season series 1-1 with the Pioneers, who fall to 6-10 overall and 2-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. 

East Bay played one of its better offensive games of the season, shooting 53 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. The Pioneers also out-rebounded CSUSB 29 to 17, but the Coyotes matched their offensive efficiency by shooting 55 percent from the floor. 

The Pioneers were hurt with 19 turnovers, which led to 28 points for San Bernardino. Despite leading for nearly 27 of the game's 40 minutes, the home team didn't get quite enough defensive stops to make an extended scoring run and put the game away.

The visitors had no answer for senior forward Ryan Okwudibonye, who racked up a career-high 26 points and a team-high eight rebounds while going 9-for-13 from the field. 

Jalen Richard also reached double figures with 14 points, and Jack Pasquini added nine points and five boards for East Bay.

Alex Carmon scored seven points on 2-for-3 shooting and dished put a team-best four assists. Tre Mauldin turned in a strong performance, knocking down a pair of three-pointers to finish with six points, five rebounds, and three assists.

East Bay led most of the second half until the Coyotes converted back-to-back steals into transition layups with five minutes left to take an advanatge that they wouldn't relinquish. San Bernardino had five players score in double figures, led by Everett Turner with 19.

Next up, the Pioneers hit the road next weekend to visit a couple of local rivals in San Francisco State and Sonoma State, crucial games as CSUEB attempts to stay in the hunt for the CCAA postseason.