BELMONT, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team was victorious in non-conference action on Friday evening, holding off a late comeback attempt by Notre Dame de Namur to beat the Argonauts by a final score of 71-68.

Feeling no lingering effect of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Pioneers (2-4) came out hot to start the game. They grabbed an 11-3 lead in the first five minutes before the home team started to claw back. The teams went back and forth for the remainder of the first half, with East Bay eventually opening up a seven-point lead heading into halftime. The Pioneers got their whole squad in on the action, as 10 different players scored in the opening half. 

The Pioneers appeared to grab control of the game coming out of the break. Drew Bender and Deiondre Bird keyed a 17-4 run over the first five minutes of the second half, which gave CSUEB a 20-point lead. 

East Bay still lead by 18 point after a pair of Bender free throws following the eight-minute media timeout, but there was still a lot of time left. The Argonatus proceeded to rattle off a 16-1 run to cut their deficit to just three. NDNU's RJ Louis triggered the comeback, scoring 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. 

The Pioneers didn't let NDNU get any closer than three points, however, as the home team wasn't quite able to pull off the comeback. East Bay was clutch went it counted to secure the victory, going 11-for-11 at the free throw as a team in the final two minutes. 

CSUEB shot well collectively for the night, finishing at 46.3 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from long distance. They also dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Argonauts 39-23. 

Bender scored 15 points to lead a trio of Pioneers in double figures. The senior went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, adding four rebounds and two steals. Bird and Druce Asah both totaled 11 points and four rebounds. Bird was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, while Asah grabbed a team-high three steals.

Senior Kyle Frakes had his most impactful game of the year, tallying nine points, seven boards, and a pair of steals in a season-high 22 minutes.

Juwan Anderson dished out a team-high five assists to go along with five points. Jordan Balser added seven points off the bench, and freshman Keshawn Bruner contributed six. 

The Pioneers will be back in action Saturday evening in Belmont, looking to make it two non-conference victories in a row when they take on Holy Names at 5:00 p.m.