HAYWARD, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team stormed from behind to pull off an epic comeback Thursday evening, defeating Cal State San Bernardino, 70-69, at Pioneer Gymnasium.
Trailing by 11 with 6:05 remaining, the Pioneers rallied with a 13-2 run down the stretch. Junior guard
Nai Carlisle sank two free throws with nine seconds remaining, and Cal State San Bernardino guard Jeremy Smith missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
With the victory, CSUEB (8-3, 4-1) has won three-consecutive games and four of its last five. The Pioneers have also won four-straight at home.
Junior forward
Zafir Williams scored a game-high 21 points with nine rebounds, senior forward
Ant Navarrete finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals, and junior forward
Josh Dhatt added 14 points while going 8-for-11 from the free-throw line.
Williams scored 11-straight points down the stretch to keep the Pioneers close, and Dhatt's bucket inside off an assist from Carlisle cut the deficit to 67-61 with three minutes left to play.
A short jumper by Navarette made it a three-point game with 1:24 to go, and after forcing a Coyote turnover, Carlisle drew a foul while driving to the basket with less than 10 seconds left.
The Pioneers made a total of 25 free throws as a team, while CSUSB (6-3, 1-2) had only 15 attempts from the line. Cal State East Bay also forced 18 Coyote turnovers.
CSUEB returns to action at home on Saturday, Dec. 14, as it plays host to Humboldt State beginning at 3 p.m.
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