LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team is set for California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament Semifinals on Friday, as the Pioneers take on No. 1 seed UC San Diego at 2:30 p.m.

The contest will be streamed live on ESPN3, and live stats will be available here. The winner will move on to Saturday's CCAA Tournament Final against either No. 2-seeded Cal Poly Pomona or No. 3-seed Chico State at 5 p.m.

It's the second-consecutive season East Bay has appeared in the conference semifinals, taking on UC San Diego for the second-straight year.

CSUEB (17-12), the No. 5 seed in this week's tournament, advanced to the semifinals with a 70-68 victory over No. 4-seeded Cal State San Bernardino in the CCAA Quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Juniors Zafir Williams and Nai Carlisle scored 18 points apiece in the win, while senior forward Ant Navarrete finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

It was the Pioneers' second win against the Coyotes over the course of four days, as East Bay defeated San Bernardino in the regular-season finale at Coussoulis Arena, 90-78, on Feb. 29.

CSUEB has won three of its last four games overall and five of its last seven. It's only losses during this stretch was at home to No. 4-ranked UC San Diego and on the road at No. RV Cal Poly Pomona.

The Pioneers have lost twice this season to UC San Diego (28-1, 21-1 CCAA), but both meetings were close. East Bay fell by just three, 76-73, in La Jolla on Jan. 4, before suffering a seven-point home defeat, 62-55, on Feb. 20.

Williams was named CCAA Newcomer of the Year and First-Team All-CCAA on Thursday morning, while Carlisle earned CCAA Honorable Mention.
 
PIONEER POINTS 

• Cal State East Bay is 2-1 all-time in the CCAA Tournament
• The Pioneers are appearing in the CCAA Semifinals for the second-consecutive season
• Cal State East Bay is 3-15 all-time against UC San Diego. The Pioneers last victory over the Tritons was on Feb. 22, 2013
• The Pioneers have won three of their last four games and five of their last seven
• Cal State East Bay remains one of the top defensive teams in the conference, ranking fourth in points allowed (70.4) and second in defensive 3-point field-goal percentage (.329) 
• The Pioneers are sixth in the conference in steals per game (7.52) and fourth in turnover margin (3.00)
• Junior forward Zafir Williams was named CCAA Newcomer of the Year as well as First-Team All-CCAA on Thursday
• Williams ranks fifth in the CCAA in points per game (17.6) and third in rebounds per game (8.3). He's also third in field-goal percentage (.490) and fourth in free-throw percentage (.820)
• Junior guard Nai Carlisle earned CCAA Honorable Mention on Thursday
• Carlisle ranks second on the team and 25th in the conference with 12.1 points per game, and ranks 12th in the CCAA in assists per contest (2.9)
• Senior forward Ant Navarrete ranks 13th in the conference with 5.9 rebounds per game, and is fourth on the team averaging 9.5 points per game
• Senior guard Evan Wardlow is the Pioneers' third-leading scorer, averaging 10.8 points per game