HAYWARD, Calif – Seniors Micah Dunhour and Pierre Carter each scored in double figures in the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team's 71-65 home victory over Fresno Pacific Wednesday night in Pioneer Gymnasium.
 
This is the first 2-1 start to the regular season for the Pioneers under fourth-year head coach Gus Argenal.
 
Micah Dunhour lead East Bay with 22 points, including a team high 15 in the first half. Dunhour added two rebounds, two assists and two steal while playing a team-high 38 minutes. He finished 9-for-13 from the field, going 1-for-2 from long distance and 3-for-4 from the foul line.
 
Pierre Carter led the Pioneer bench with 14 huge points. Carter scored 12 straight at one point to carry CSUEB on a 12-2 run in the middle of the second half, as the Pioneers stretched their lead to 57-43. He added five rebounds, an assist and a steal while shooting 4-for-6 rom the floor,  2-for-4 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
 
Senior guard Jalen Richard tied a season-best with eight rebounds, including four big offensive boards. Richard compiled nine points, three assists and two steals.
 
Sophomore Juwan Anderson paced East Bay with six assists. Anderson chipped in five points, two steals and a rebounds.
 
Junior center Kyle Frakes scored the Pioneers' first six points of the game and he finished with eight points total. He grabbed four boards and went 4-for-5 from the floor despite playing just 12 minutes due to foul trouble. Frakes leads the team with a .706 field goal percentage through the first three games. 
 
Coming off a huge opening weekend, freshman Druce Asah tallied eight points, five rebounds, and a block while connecting on two shoots from behind the three-point line before fouling out.
 
Along with Carter, Drew Bender and Jelani Mitchell were positive sparks for the East Bay bench. Bender dished out four assists, scored four points, grabbed a rebound and collected one steal while sinking both of his free throws. Mitchell was active defensively for CSUEB, snagging five defensive rebounds and gathering two steals.
 
The Pioneers were able to pull out a tough win although the Sunbirds, out-scoring them in the paint (34-30), in points off turnovers (19-17) and in bench points (25-18).
 
East Bay won the battle of the boards 28-27, outscoring Fresno Pacific 7-2 on fast break points. The Pioneers finished the game shooting 44.44 percent from the field, including 50 percent in the second half, while holding the Sunbirds to 43.3 percent accuracy for the game.
 
East Bay head coach Gus Argenal was pleased with his team's effort defensively and on the glass and felt that led to the team's home win.
 
"We came out very aggressive defensively," Argenal said. "It was important for us to bounce back after Saturday night. We knew we had to force them to make difficult shots and stay active on the boards if we wanted to come out successful. This win was truly big for us as a team. If give us the confidence we need headed into a long road trip."
 
Kavika Jimenez led Fresno Pacific (0-3) with 15 points and five rebounds. Adriel McGee and Oliver Hetting added 10 points and three rebounds each for the Sunbirds.
 
Cal State East Bay will not play in its home gym now for more than a month, as the team embarks on a nine-game road trip with a trip to Billings, Mont. to square off against Montana State-Billings (1-2) on Saturday, November 19 in Alterowitz Gymnasium.