SAN DIEGO - Cal State East Bay men's basketball played its second game of the season in the PacWest/CCAA Conference Challenge on Saturday at Golden Gymnasium. The Pioneers defeated No. 11 Point Loma, 61-57 to remain undefeated. 
 

GAME SUMMARY

In the first half, the Sea Lions would start the game on a 9-0 run capped by a Jake Lifgren jumper with 17:36 left. The Pioneers responded with a 16-7 run, capped by a Ramsey Huff 3-pointer with 9:55 left, to tie the game at 16-16. The Sea Lions went on a 10-3 run, capped by a Wynton Brown layup with 5:43 left, to take a 26-19 lead. The Pioneers would score the final five points of the half, including a 3-pointer from Teiano Hardee and a layup by Grady Lewis, to trail 26-24 at halftime.
 
In the second half, the Sea Lions expanded their lead early in the half to 28-24. The Pioneers then responded with  a 9-0 run, capped by a Tyree Campbell 3-pointer, to take the lead. 33-28. The Pioneers would balloon their lead to their largest of the ballgame at twelve, at 42-30, on a Daeshawn Eaton 3-pointer with 13:53 left. The closest the Sea Lions would close the deficit to was three points, trailing 47-44, on a Luke Smith free throw with 8:57 left. Cal State East Bay built to a lead by as much as 10 points down the stretch, not looking back to finish the evening with a 61-57 win over the nationally-ranked Sea Lions. 
 

NOTABLE STATS

• Payden White scored 11 points to lead the Pioneers, going 4-for-12 from the floor and making one free throw.
• Grady Lewis had 10 points in the win, and with 10 rebounds, earned a double-double. 
• Eaton finished with three steals. 
• The Pioneers shot 42.9 percent from the field and equally the same percentage from beyond the arc. 
• PLNU outrebounded Cal State East Bay 37-27 on Saturday. 

POSTGAME QUOTE

Cal State East Bay head coach Bryan Rooney following Saturday's win:
"We learned a ton about our team tonight. Credit to Point Loma for jumping on us early. Fortunately, we did not panic and stuck together. If this weekend is any indication, this team will be a very fun group to coach. Our guys consistently played for one another and earned two hard fought victories."
 

RECORDS

Cal State East Bay: 2-0
No. 11 Point Loma: 1-1
 

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

On November 17-18, the CSUEB will host the Pioneer Conference Challenge from Pioneer Gymnasium. In Friday's game for the Pioneers, they will take on Dominican (Calif.) with a tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.