HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team fell to a hot-shooting #5 ranked Chico State squad, 78-66 on "Pink Night" in Pioneer Gymnasium on Friday night. The Pioneers were led by Kyle Frakes' season high 16 points.
 
With the loss, East Bay drops to 12-15 over and 5-14 in conference paly, while Chico State improved to 21-6 and 14-5 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action.
 
It was a tale of two halves for the Pioneers who found themselves down by 22 late in the first and down 18 at halftime after the Wildcats went on a 19-2 run over a seven-minute stretch. Chico State finished the opening half shooting an impressive 69.2 percent from the floor.
 
The Pioneers would mount a furious comeback in the second half, using an 18-4 run to close the Wildcats gap to single digits midway through the second half. But Chico State would seal the deal with big buckets in the final 2:30 of the game. East Bay shot 56.6 percent accuracy from the field in the second half.
 
East Bay outscored Chico State in the second half of play 39-33.
 
Junior Kyle Frakes led the Pioneers with a game high 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor. Frakes finished with five rebounds on 31 minutes of action.
 
Senior Micah Dunhour also posted 16 points for CSUEB on 8-for-15 shooting from the floor. Dunhour grabbed four rebounds and two assists. He also had two steals and played 37 minutes, both team highs.
 
Freshman wing Druce Asah would be the Pioneers other double figure scorer tallying 11 points and a team best six rebounds. Asah went 5-for-8 from the field and 1-for-2 from three-point range with an assist and a steal in 28 minutes on the court.
 
Junior Drew Bender compiled eight points, a game high four assists and three rebounds. Bender saw 25 minutes of action off the bench to help the Pioneer bench outscore the Wildcat bench 40-27.
 
The squads broke even in the painted area as both teams collected 40 points apiece in the paint, with Chico State claiming the slight edge in the rebounding column 31-29.
 
Both teams also forced 12 turnovers and scored 16 points off of those turnovers. But the Pioneers shot a season low 14.3 percent (2-for-14) from beyond the arc against a tough Chico State defense.
 
The loss officially eliminates East Bay from postseason contention in the CCAA. 
 
The Pioneers will prepare for their regular season finale on Saturday night, February 25 against Stanislaus State. It will be "Senior Night" in Pioneer Gymnasium as East Bay will honor it's six seniors: Micah Dunhour, Jalen Richard, Tre Mauldin, Pierre Carter, Paramvir Singh and Lamine Mbodj.
 
That 7:30 p.m. game will be preceded by the annual "Senior Night" ceremony to honor the six Pioneer seniors.