HAYWARD, Calif., -- The Pioneer men's basketball team fell in a heartbreaking, 92-90 Homecoming opening weekend loss to the visiting Cal State L.A. Golden Eagles on Friday night, February 10 in Pioneer Gymnasium.
 
Cal State East Bay drops to 4-15 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play and move to 8-17 overall on the season. CSUEB dropped the season series to CSULA after falling, 84-67 on November 18 in the Eagles Nest.
 
It was a back-an-forth affair as both teams traded timely baskets down to the final seconds of the game. Neither team captured a double digit lead as the contest featured ten ties and eight lead changes.
 
The Pioneers dominated the Golden Eagles inside the painted area with 48 points in the paint to just 30 from CSULA. East Bay also outrebounded Cal State L.A., 52 -29 which led to 22 second chance points. The Golden Eagles did score 21 points off 19 forced turnovers by the Pioneers.
 
Despite the loss, several Pioneers turned in strong performances Friday night in front of a ruckus Homecoming crowd. Sophomore Druce Asah (Tracy, Calif.) poured in a game-high 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. Asah grabbed five rebounds and dished two assists in 29 minutes of action off the bench.
 
Junior point guard Juwan Anderson (Oakland, Calif.) nearly missed a triple-double as he scored 11 points, corralled nine rebounds and notched seven assists on a team best 33 minutes on the floor.
 
Cal State East Bay shot 47.1% (33-for-70) from the floor for the game, including 53.3% (16-for-30) in the opening half of play the helped the Pioneers capture a, 46-45 halftime lead. The Pioneer defense held the golden Eagles to 41.8 (28-for-67) for the night.
 
The reserves for both squads were very effective as the Golden Eagles outscored East Bay, 43-41 in bench production. Wyatt Maker (Salinas, Calif.) was a key contributor for the Pioneer bench as he finished with a season-high 12 points and seven rebounds on 6-for-7 shooting from the field highlighted by a buzzer beating layup to put the Pioneers up by one at the intermission.
 
The East Bay trio of senior all had solid outing on Friday night. Kyle Frakes (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) notched eight points and a game-best 14 rebounds in 18 minutes. Drew Bender (Phoenix, Ariz.) added 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. Bender chipped in four assists, five rebounds and a steal in 29 minutes. Jelani Mitchell (Pasadena, Calif.) put in seven points, a rebound, an assist and a steal in 14 minutes.
 
The Pioneers will complete their Homecoming home stand with a matchup against the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros on Saturday night, February 10. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Pioneer Gymnasium. East Bay defeated the Toros, 70-57 on November 17 in the Torodome.