HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team travels to Cal State Monterey Bay this Sunday to put a bow on the 2018 calendar year with a 3 p.m. showdown against the Otters in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play.

This will be the first competition in nearly two weeks for the Pioneers, who last played Dec. 17 and pulled off an 83-76 road victory at San Francisco State to head into the holiday break.

UNCHARTED WATERS
The first two months of the 2018-19 season have yielded unprecedented success for East Bay, which is off to its best start ever in CCAA play with a 5-1 record. Their overall mark of 9-2 is not only the program's best start to a season in the decade since joining Division II and the CCAA, it's the first time the Pioneers have won nine out of 11 games at any point during that time period.

In addition, for just the second time in the CCAA era, the Pioneers have received recognition in the D2SIDA West Region Media Poll. They were slotted at No. 8 in the most recent Top-10 list, which is East Bay's highest ranking since the poll was established.

While mid-season rankings are fun, CSUEB's ultimate goal of reaching the CCAA postseason for the first time ever is still a ways off. The Pioneers have 16 conference games remaining over the next two months as they aim to put themselves in position to compete for a conference title on their home court. Pioneer Gymnasium will play host to the semifinal and final rounds of the CCAA Tournament on Mar. 8-9.

BEFORE THE BREAK
East Bay's most recent win was also perhaps its most impressive, as the Pioneers went on the road, played an extremely tight game against a very talented SF State squad, and prevailed by seven points. They had five players score in double figures and out-shot the Gators 46 percent to 39 percent from the field. 

Evan Wardlow notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow senior Juwan Anderson led the way with 21 points. Anderson subsequently earned his first career CCAA Player of the Week award after tallying five assists and going 3-for-5 from three-point range at SFSU.

IMPROVING ON BOTH ENDS
The most apparent area of growth for the Pioneers this season has been on the defensive end, where they rank third out of 13 CCAA teams in scoring defense and fifth in rebounding margin. They have also been the best team in the conference at defending the three-point arc, holding opponents to 26.8 percent. 

However, East Bay's hot start can also be attributed to improved efficiency and effectiveness on offense. They have four players averaging double figures in scoring, three of whom are newcomers. This means they don't have to rely on just one or two sources of offense each game. The Pioneers are shooting a solid 43.9 percent as a team, led by sophomore Nai Carlisle (.538) and junior Ant Navarrete (.544), as well as a strong contribution off the bench from redshirt freshman John Duff (.632). 

Surrounded by scoring weapons, Anderson is having the best year of his career. He leads the Pioneers averaging 12.9 points per game and ranks second in the CCAA in both assists per game and assist-turnover ratio. Anderson is also in the top 20 in the entire nation in free throw shooting at 91.7 percent, pacing a Pioneer squad that has been outstanding at the foul line collectively with a team mark of 73.9 percent.

BATTLE OF THE BAYS
The inaugural "Battle of the Bays" between CSUEB and CSUMB is tied 10-10 following the Fall athletics season. The Pioneers have a chance to take their first lead in the yearlong matchup this Sunday with four points on the line in the men's and women's hoops doubleheader.

OUTLOOK ON THE OTTERS
It has been a challenging season for CSUMB, which enters Sunday's game in search of its first win. The Otters rank last in the CCAA in both scoring defense and field goal percentage, and they're being out-scored by an average of 10 points per game. Monterey Bay does have four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by junior guard Jahvon Johnson at 13.8 ppg. Junior forward Joseph Bosetti averages 11.4 ppg on 56 percent shooting and leads the Otters in rebounding at 5.5 rpg.