HAYWARD, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team fought hard until the very end, but came up just short in a "Battle of the Bays" matchup against rival Cal State Monterey Bay, 80-76, Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Gym.

The game featured 11 lead changes and six ties, as CSUEB (9-7, 5-5 CCAA) has now dropped its last two home contests by a total of just five points.

Senior Evan Wardlow matched a season-high with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with four assists, while junior forward Josh Dhatt scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. 

Senior forward Ant Navarrete added 11 points with eight rebounds and senior guard Trent Warren finished with 11 points.

The Pioneers trailed by five at halftime, but quickly took the lead, 48-46, behind a Warren three less than four minutes into the second quarter.

Cal State East Bay pushed its lead to four on two Navarrete free throws with 15:48 left to play, but Cal State Monterey Bay (5-11, 2-8) responded with an 8-0 run to regain a four-point advantage.

The Pioneers found themselves trailing by six with just under seven minutes remaining, but a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Justin Vigil put CSUEB back on top, 76-75, with 1:05 to go. However, the Otters scored the game's final five points during the final minute to escape with the win.

Cal State East Bay resumes its current homestands when it plays host to Bay Bridge rival San Francisco State on Thursday, Jan. 16, beginning at 7:30 p.m.