CARSON, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team put forth a solid effort on the road Thursday evening, but was unable to come away with a victory in a narrow loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills, 86-82, at the Torodome.

Cal State East Bay (12-10, 8-8 CCAA) rallied after trailing at halftime to pull within six, 67-61, on a bucket by Ant Navarrete with 5:35 left to play. However, Cal State Dominguez Hills (10-11, 6-9)  responded with a 7-2 spurt to push its lead back to 11.

The Pioneers got a strong output from several key players, led by junior Zafir Williams' 20 points and 13 rebounds. The 6-foot-6 forward from nearby Long Beach shot 7-of-15 from the floor, including two 3-pointers, with two blocks, two assists and a steal.

Seniors Navarrete and Evan Wardlow scored 14 points apiece, while junior guard Nai Carlisle added 12 points with six assists.

Thursday's setback makes the California Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA) standings even murkier. Cal State East Bay remains in sixth place, but Cal State San Marcos (11-11, 7-9), Saturday's opponent Cal State LA (11-9, 6-8) and ninth-place CSUDH aren't far behind.

The top eight teams in the conference standings qualify for the CCAA Tournament beginning March 3.

Saturday's road test at Cal State LA's Eagles Nest is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.