HAYWARD, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team is set for a big weekend at home, as the Pioneers play host to No. 4-ranked UC San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 20, before welcoming Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Thursday's contest against UC San Diego is part of this weekend's Homecoming festivities on campus, with opening tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday's game against Cal State San Marcos is Senior Day and set to begin at 3 p.m.

CSUEB (14-10, 10-8 CCAA) is coming off a key road win over rival Cal State Monterey Bay last week for its third victory in its last four contests.

Junior guard Nai Carlisle matched a team-high with 16 points, including two key buckets in the game's final two minutes, while senior forward Ant Navarrete finished with 16 points and six rebounds.

In addition, senior guard Evan Wardlow scored 13 points with four assists, while junior forward Zafir Williams recorded 10 rebounds. 

Williams has recorded double-digit rebounds for the third-consecutive game and 12th time this season.

The Pioneers are attempting to secure their spot in the upcoming California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament beginning March 3, as the top eight teams in the conference standings qualify for the postseason tourney.

Cal State East Bay is currently in fifth place, in between fourth-place Chico State (18-6,13-5) and one game ahead of sixth-place Stanislaus State (15-10, 11-9).

After this weekend, the Pioneers will have only two regular-season games remaining at Cal Poly Pomona and at Cal State San Bernardino.
 
PIONEER POINTS

• Cal State East Bay won its last home meeting against Cal State San Marcos on Nov. 24, 2018
• The Pioneers have won three of their last four games overall and two straight at home
• Cal State East Bay ranks fourth in the CCAA in points allowed (70.8) and third in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.338)
• The Pioneers are sixth in the conference in steals per game (7.63) and fourth in turnover margin (3.04)
• Junior forward Zafir Williams was named CCAA Player of the Week for the second time this season on Feb. 11
• Williams ranks fifth in the CCAA in points per game (17.5) and second in rebounds per game (8.4). He's also fifth in field-goal percentage (.489) and sixth in free-throw percentage (.806)
• 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 11.6 points per game, ranks 14th in the CCAA in assists per game (3.0) and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4)