CARSON, Calif. – Conference play opened up Saturday for the Cal State East Bay men's basketball team with a matchup at the Torodome at Cal State Dominguez Hills. For a second straight game, the Pioneers won by a score of 75-71.
 

GAME SUMMARY

 
The first half saw a close battle. Although the Toros led by six, the Pioneers regained the lead at the 3:09 mark, 28-26, on a layup from Grady Lewis. But after the layup, CSUDH scored 11 unanswered points and took a 37-28 lead into halftime. 
 
The Toros led 50-40 at the 14:42 mark on a 3-pointer by Jordan Hilstock. But the Pioneers answered with 11 unanswered points in a stretch of less than three minutes, as they took a 51-50 lead on a layup by Kevin Ebiriekwe. 
 
With an even score of 66-66 at the 2:56 mark on a layup from Lewis, he drew a foul, and gave Cal State East Bay a lead on a free throw to follow. Although the Toros had chances to tie or take the lead down the stretch, the lead for Cal State East Bay was not relinquished, and Lewis made a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to seal the conference win of 75-71.
 

NOTABLE STATS

 

• Lewis went 5-for-9 from the floor and had nine rebounds. Defensively, he had a block and two steals. 
• Garrett Pascoe finished with three steals and three assists. 
• Returning to his hometown of Carson, Ebiriekwe scored a season-high 16 points.
• As a team, the Pioneers went 24-for-57 from the floor and 21-for-31 from the free throw line. 
• Andre Ball, from CSUDH, led all scorers with 21 points. 

 

POSTGAME QUOTE

 
Cal State East Bay head coach Bryan Rooney following Saturday's conference opening win:
"Tremendous effort by our guys tonight, especially in the second half. It is extremely difficult to win on the road in our conference and we [needed] everyone tonight to beat a very good Dominguez Hills team. Loved the energy Kevin [Ebiriekwe] brought us off the bench and Grady [Lewis] continues to show why his teammates have so much confidence in him. I also thought Dimitrios' [Klonaras] clutch plays down the stretch were a direct reflection of the belief our team is showing in one another."
 

RECORDS

 
Cal State East Bay: 3-4, 1-0 CCAA
Cal State Dominguez Hills: 2-3, 0-1 CCAA
 

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

 
The Pioneers host their next two games at Pioneer Gymnasium. The first of the two takes place Thursday, December 1 with a CCAA matchup against Sonoma State. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.