HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team dropped a tight game on the road Thursday night to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) newcomer Cal State San Marcos by a final score of 71-60.

Despite the end result, the contest was tight throughout the evening. The Pioneers even held a one-point lead after a three-pointer by Jordan Balser with five and a half minutes left to play. But San Marcos answered with back-to-back triples by Akachi Okugo and hung on from there, stretching the lead out in the final minutes at the free throw line.

The Cougars improve to to 7-5 overall with a 5-2 mark in the CCAA. East Bay drops its record to 5-8 for the season and 1-5 in conference play.

"Tonight we gave ourselves a chance to win against a very good San Marcos team," said head coach Gus Argenal. "We needed to make a couple big stops late and each time they answered with big baskets. I was proud of our energy and passion, but tonight we came up short."

Junior Jalen Richard led all scorers with 22 points in 26 minutes. It was one of his most efficient performances, going 7-for-10 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from long distance to go along with four rebounds. 

Ryan Okwudibonye also reached double figures, posting 13 points and four boards on 5-for-13 shooting. The senior has had double-digit scoring totals in eight of the last 10 games.

The Pioneers shot 44 percent in the first half and went 5-for-9 from long range as a team, taking a 32-31 lead into the break. The Cougars hit just one of their five attempts from deep in the opening frame, but came back to shoot 54 percent from the field after halftime. 

CSUEB was out-rebounded by San Marcos 32 to 23 for the night. Leading the way for East Bay was senior Jack Pasquini with six boards, five points, and three assists in 31 minutes. 

Fellow senior Alex Carmon added seven points on a 3-for-10 shooting performance. Balser knocked down a pair of long balls and finished with eight points in 27 minutes off the bench. 

The Pioneers have a quick turnaround and a tough test ahead of them for Saturday night. The team drives up to Los Angeles for a 7:30 p.m. game at Cal State L.A., which hasn't played since losing to Stanislaus State on New Year's Day.