SAN MARCOS, Calif., -- The Pioneer men's basketball dropped their first leg of their California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) road trip with a 93-78 loss to Cal State San Marcos on November 30 in the Sports Center.
 
East Bay moves to 3-5 overall on the 2017-18 season and a 1-3 mark in conference action through their first four CCAA contests. San Marcos, who was picked to finish third in the CCAA Preseason Polls improves to 6-1 after winning their conference opener.
 
The Pioneers put together a well-rounded outing in a variety of areas despite to frustrating result. Senior guard Drew Bender (Phoenix, Ariz.) turned in a solid performance, compiling a team-best 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting and connecting on three three-pointers. He added four rebounds and a steal while going 3-for-4 from the charity stripe before fouling out after 21 minutes on the floor.
 
Junior point guard Juwan Anderson (Oakland, Calif.) finished with eight points and three assists on 2-for-5 shooting from behind the the three-point line. Senior center Kyle Frakes (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) scored seven points and corralled three rebounds.
 
East Bay found success in paint production as they outscored San Marcos 34-32 in points in the painted area but the two squads were evenly locked with 31 rebounds apiece. The Pioneer also finished with a 38-13 bench scoring advantage. Senior forward Jelani Mitchell (Pasadena, Calif.) notched 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting, three rebounds, two steals and an assist in 28 minutes off the bench.
 
Keshawn Bruner (Sacramento, Calif.) chipped in nine points and tied the team lead with seven rebounds while sophomore guard Jordan Balser (Auburn, Calif.) also grabbed seven boards to go along with his four points, three assists and two steals.
 
The Cougars were hot from the field in the game as they finished the contest with a 60% shooting mark from floor. San Marcos knocked down 6-for-16 (56.3%) shots from three-point land for the game including 6-for-9 (66.7%) in the second half. East Bay shot 45% from the field for the game and just 33.3% from beyond the arc.
 
San Marcos jumped out to a 44-31 first half lead as that was the most points East Bay has given up in the first half all season. The Pioneers did outscore the Cougars 49-47 after the intermission.
 
Sophomore Druce Asah (Tracy, Calif.) added eight points, one rebound, an assist and a steal and Patrick Marr (Clayton, Calif.) turned in five points and two rebounds.
 
East Bay will roundup their weekend conference road trek with a visit to Seaside for a Saturday night matchup against Cal State Monterey Bay on December 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kelp Bed.