HAYWARD, Calif. — Evan Wardlow realizes the end is near.
Now, he's busy making up for lost time.
The senior guard leads the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team into this weekend's road matchup against "Battle of the Bays" rival Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday, Feb. 15, beginning at 3 p.m.
The contest will be streamed live
here, a live radio broadcast will be available
here and live stats can be followed
here.
It will be the second meeting this season between the two teams, as CSUMB escaped with a 80-76 win in Hayward back on Jan. 11. Prior to that, CSUEB had won six-straight matchups between the two rivals.
"It's a big game," Wardlow said prior to Thursday's practice at Pioneer Gym. "It's a known rivalry and they got us here at home, so we're looking forward to making it even by going out and getting a road 'W.'"
A native of Lake View Terrace outside of Los Angeles, Wardlow missed the first 11 games this season due to a foot injury.
Since returning to the lineup, the senior guard is averaging 10.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on .462 percent shooting from the field.
He's coming off one of his best games of the season, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists on 7-of-11 shooting from the field in 39 minutes played in a road victory at Cal State LA on Feb. 8.
But just as important as his performance on the court is how Wardlow learned to impact the team off the court during his absence.
"The biggest thing I learned was how to cheer on the guys," he said. "Learning how to affect the team in a positive way when you're not able to be on the court.
"That was a big challenge for me, but I think it helps now that I'm back on the court — how I interact with the guys and the relationships I've built with them."
Cal State East Bay (13-10, 9-8 CCAA) has five regular-season games remaining before California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament begins on March 3. The Pioneers currently sit fifth in the CCAA standings, but just 0.5 games ahead of sixth-place Stanislaus State, two games infront of seventh-place Cal State San Marcos and 2.5 games ahead of eighth place teams Cal State Dominguez Hills and CSULA.
Following Saturday's game in Seaside, Calif., CSUEB play host to first-place UC San Diego on Feb. 20, before welcoming Cal State San Marcos on Feb. 22.
The Pioneer wrap up the regular season with tough road games at Cal Poly Pomona on Feb. 27 and at Cal State San Bernardino on Feb. 29.
Wardlow acknowledged this is his "last rodeo" and is determined to help the Pioneers continue winning and extending its season into late March.
"Anytime you're almost done with college basketball, it's bittersweet," he said. "It's exciting though. We want to keep pushing and try to play as many games as we can."
PIONEER POINTS
- Cal State East Bay has won six of its last seven meetings against Cal State Monterey Bay, and had won six in a row before the Pioneers' narrow loss on Jan. 11
- The Pioneers have won four of its last six games overall and two straight at home
- Cal State East Bay ranks fourth in the CCAA in points allowed (71.0) and fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.341),
- The Pioneers are fifth in the conference in steals per game (7.70) and fourth in turnover margin (3.0)
- Junior forward Zafir Williams was named CCAA Player of the Week for the second time this season on Feb. 11
- Williams ranks third in the CCAA in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He's also fifth in field-goal percentage (.495) and eighth in free-throw percentage
- Senior guard Evan Wardlow recorded season highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds in CSUEB's road win at Cal State LA on Feb. 8
- Junior forward Ant Navarrete ranks 12th in the conference with 6.1 rebounds per game
- Junior guard Nai Carlisle is second on the team with 11.9 points per game, and ranks 13th in the CCAA in assists per game (3.0)
