TURLOCK, Calif. - Cal State East Bay men's basketball opened CCAA play on Thursday evening on the road Stanislaus State. The Pioneers rode a strong first half to an 86-76 over the Warriors. Six Pioneers reached double figures in scoring in Thursday's win at Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena. 
 

GAME SUMMARY

In the first half, the Pioneers started the game on a 20-5 run capped by a Grady Lewis layup with 13:19 left in the half, and would gain their largest lead of the half at 18 on two occasions; the second occasion at 51-33 with 10 seconds on a Chris James jumper in the paint. Both teams went into halftime as CSUEB holding a 51-33 advantage. 

Cal State East Bay led by as much as 23 on two occasions in the second half; the second occasion at 66-43 on a Payden White three pointer with 15:03 left. The Warriors answered with a 26-14 run, capped by a Dontrell Hewlett free throw to trim the Pioneers' lead to 11 with 2:19 left. The Pioneers kept their lead in double digits for the remainder of the contest to win their CCAA opener for the season and second in a row overall. 
 

NOTABLE STATS

• Leading the six scorers in double figures for the Pioneers was Dimitrios Klonaras with 18 points, going 7-for-14 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the free throw line. 
• Also scoring in double figures for Cal State East Bay was Grady Lewis (16), Daeshawn Eaton (13), Tyree Campbell (11), Chris James (11) and Payden White (10). 
• Lewis, Campbell and James had six rebounds each on Thursday. 
• Defensively, Klonaras had three steals and Lewis had a block and two steals. 
• The Pioneers shot 50.9 percent from the floor while Stanislaus State shot 39.1 percent. 
• CSUEB had a 41-35 rebounding edge over the Warriors. 

POSTGAME QUOTE

Cal State East Bay head coach Bryan Rooney following Thursday's conference-opening victory: 
"Tremendous job by our guys tonight being ready to play. The start proved to be a significant difference maker in the game. 

"We have a huge road challenge on Saturday against a very good Monterey Bay team."
 

RECORDS

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

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

 The Pioneers will play a road game on Saturday at The Kelp Bed against Cal State Monterey Bay in a CCAA contest. Tipoff from Seaside is set for 3 p.m.