HAYWARD, Calif. - Cal State East Bay men's basketball returned to CCAA action inside Pioneer Gymnasium on Thursday for the first of two home games this week The Pioneers cruised to an 82-66 win against Cal State Monterey Bay for their second consecutive win. 
 

GAME SUMMARY

Both teams traded 3-pointers to start the game in the first two minutes, including the two from Cal State East Bay coming from Chris James and Tyree Campbell. Tied at 6-6 at the 17:51 mark, Maxwell McCall made a steal followed by a dunk to give the Pioneers a lead in which they would never look back for the rest of the evening. Cal State East Bay led by as many as 13 points in the first half, including the 3:42 mark when Campbell made his second 3-pointer of the game. By halftime, CSUEB led 46-34. 

The Otters closed the deficit to as little as seven points in the second half, but the Pioneers built their lead to as much as 20 points with 4:09 left in the game on a pair of free throws from Dimitrios Klonaras and less than two minutes later on a layup from Christian Littlejohn-Chin for an 80-60 lead at the 2:53 mark. Cal State East Bay went on to win, 82-66 for a second straight win in conference play.  
 

NOTABLE STATS

• Klonaras led the Pioneers in scoring with 19 points, going 7-for-12 from the floor with a 3-pointer and four made free throws. Klonaras's 11 rebounds lifted him to his fourth double double of the season. 
• Also scoring in double figures for CSUEB were Grady Lewis with 17 points, Daeshawn Eaton with 12 and Campbell with 10. 
• Klonaras also led the Pioneers in assists with seven. 
• Defensively, McCall had a block and three steals. 
• Jailen Nelson led the Otters in scoring with a game-high 24 points. 
• As a team, CSUEB shot 56.7 percent from the floor while CSUMB shot 40 percent in field goals. 
• The Otters had a 36-33 rebounding advantage in the game. 

POSTGAME QUOTE

Cal State East Bay head coach Bryan Rooney following the Pioneers' second straight victory on Thursday: 
"I loved our energy tonight. When we are playing well, our depth is a difference maker on both ends. We are going to need a similar collective focus on Saturday night."
 

RECORDS

Cal State East Bay: 12-6, 8-4 CCAA
Cal State Monterey Bay: 6-11, 4-8 CCAA
 

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

This coming Saturday, the Pioneers host Stanislaus State. Tipoff from Pioneer Gymnasium is set for 7:30 p.m. The Pioneers opened conference play on November 30 with an 86-76 win over the Warriors.