HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team kicked off 2018 with an impressive 77-66 win over visiting Sonoma State on Tuesday in front of a great crowd at Pioneer Gym. 

The Pioneers improve to 7-8 this season and pick up their third victory in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) competition. They have now won two back-to-back home games after dropping their first four contests of the season in Hayward.

East Bay turned in a total team effort against the Seawolves, playing strong defense, dominating the glass, and riding hot outside shooting. They held Sonoma to just 41.5 percent shooting for the game, including 4-for-15 from three-point range. Meanwhile the Pioneers went 8-for-19 from long distance (42.1 percent).

Druce Asah led the way, knocking down 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. The sophomore led all scorers on the night with 21 points to go along with eight rebounds. 

The game was tightly-contested at the start, with the teams trading buckets for the first 10 minutes or so. The Seawolves scored six straight to take a 20-15 lead, their biggest of the game, with nine and half a minutes remaining in the opening half. But the Pioneers answered back. Jelani Mitchell and Asah buried triples on back-to-back possessions to give CSUEB the lead, igniting a 16-2 scoring run over the next six minutes of game time. The teams went into halftime with East Bay ahead by seven.

Sonoma opened the second half on a 6-0 run to erase that deficit, and then the score remaining close for most of the remainder of the game. The final 17 minutes of action saw four ties and three lead changes, as the Pioneers continued to turn in stout defense. 

Tied 55-55 with just over seven minutes left, Kyle Frakes knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Pioneers ahead. They would never relinquish the lead after that thanks to some clutch shooting. Each time the Seawolves got within one possession, the Pioneers answered with a bucket to hold off Sonoma's comeback. 

Juwan Anderson made two huge shots in the final three minutes to give East Bay a seven-point lead, and then the Pioneers were able extend their advantage in the final seconds at the free throw line. Anderson posted one of his best games of the season, finishing with 14 points and a team-high seven assists. 12 of those points came in the second half, and eight of them came at the foul line down the stretch.

CSUEB was outstanding on the boards, out-rebounding Sonoma 39 to 24 for the game. Frakes scored eight points and led the way with 13 rebounds, falling just one short of his career high. The senior has now reached double figures in two of the last three contests.

Drew Bender filled up the scoresheet with 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Fellow guard Jordan Balser also scored 11 on an efficient 4-for-5 shooting performance. 

With the first of six January home games under their belt, the Pioneers next welcome in Stanislaus State for a CCAA showdown on Saturday with tip-off set for the usual 7:30 p.m.