HAYWARD, Calif. – Jaayden Bush poured in clutch basket after clutch basket to lead Cal State East Bay past Jessup 78-75 on Saturday night at the Pioneer Conference Challenge.  The Pioneers rode a breakout night from Bush, who made two tough jumpers in the final minute to improve to 2–0 on the season.
 
Bush opened the night on fire, burying a three just 18 seconds into the game and setting the tone for a strong East Bay first half. The Pioneers pushed the pace early, with Tyree Campbell scoring twice inside and Josh Ijeh slamming home a dunk off a Jalen Foy assist to put East Bay ahead 9–7. Campbell added another jumper moments later, and the Pioneers continued to find scoring from different spots as Amare Campbell came off the bench and rattled in a three to make it 13–10.
 
Bush knocked down another three at the 10:35 mark, and after a defensive stand, Campbell drilled his second triple of the night to push the Pioneers ahead 18–15. The teams traded baskets for much of the half, but East Bay created separation late. A steal from Amare Campbell ignited a transition dunk by Bush, and moments later Campbell hit a deep three that sent the Pioneers into halftime ahead 39–34.
 
The second half opened with another burst. Foy connected from long range, then Bush splashed a deep three from the wing as the Pioneers built a 45–38 lead. Minutes later Bush struck again to give East Bay its largest lead of the game, 48–38. The Pioneers defended well during the stretch, forcing multiple turnovers, including two steals by Tyree Campbell.
 
Jessup, however, refused to fold storming back with a 17–4 run, cutting East Bay's lead to 52–46 before eventually trimming it to 59–57. East Bay steadied itself with a three from Andrew Camacho, a driving finish from Amare Campbell, and a tip-in that re-established a 63–55 margin with just over eight minutes left.
 
The Pioneers appeared to be in control after baskets from Takai Emerson-Hardy and Haywood pushed the lead to 66–55, but Jessup made one final surge to pull within one at 70–69.
 
That's when Bush took over, hitting a mid-range jumper at the :55 mark to extend the lead to 74–71, then drilled another contested jumper to make it 76–72 with 21 seconds left. After Jessup answered at the free-throw line, Bush calmly added another point at the stripe to make it 77–73. Camacho hit the final free throw with seven seconds left, and a contested three-point attempt by Jessup at the horn missed, sealing the win.
 
Bush finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four threes, while Campbell added 15 points and Foy and Haywood each contributed 11. East Bay shot 45.5 percent from the field and knocked down 10 threes, five in each half.  The Pioneers' bench was crucial, supplying 28 points with Camacho, Emerson-Hardy and Amare Campbell combining for several timely baskets.
 
The Pioneers are off until next Saturday when they host Menlo at Pioneer Gymnasium for a 4:00 pm tip.