HAYWARD, Calif. — Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Gymnasium turned into a defensive grind, and No. 24 Cal State East Bay fended off a late Seattle Pacific rally to stay unbeaten with a 57-54 win. The Pioneers set the tone early, built a cushion, then held firm as the Falcons' last-minute look at a tying three-pointer missed to preserve East Bay's perfect start.

Cal State East Bay struck first in a tight opening stretch, nudging ahead 10-8 before Amare Campbell rose up from beyond the arc to spark a wave. His 3-pointer ignited a 10-3 surge that pushed the home side to a 20-11 edge midway through the first half.

Seattle Pacific briefly steadied and trimmed the margin to 22-16, but the game's first major momentum swing followed a defensive flash. At the 5:21 mark, Amare Campbell knifed in for a fast break layup set up by a steal from Tyree Campbell, the first of consecutive takeaways that fueled an 8-3 burst. That stretch featured two steals by Tyree Campbell, a span with no Falcons field goals, and a flurry of Pioneer rim runs that helped send East Bay to the locker room up 32-23.

The second half kept the crowd on edge. After East Bay extended to double digits when Ramsey Huff drilled a 3-pointer at 14:13 to make it 44-34, the Falcons answered with a 12-2 counterpunch. Julian Mora capped the run with a 3-pointer to pull SPU even at 46-46 with 7:55 left in the second, erasing the Pioneers' cushion and tilting the tension back toward the visitors.

From there, East Bay (8-0) composed itself at the stripe. In a span of fewer than three minutes, Tyree Campbell, Jalen Foy and Huff combined for six free throws to rebuild a 52-46 lead with 5:17 remaining, and the defense stacked stops to keep the Falcons at arm's length.

SPU refused to fade, and the finish had drama. After Huff splashed another 3-pointer for a 57-49 lead with 2:09 to play, Trace Evans answered with a second chance layup at 1:42. The Falcons then drew within one possession when Grant Coleman buried a deep three with 56 seconds left. In a tense final minute marked by missed opportunities on both sides, the Pioneers forced a tough final look and secured the rebound as the potential tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds came up empty. The clock bled out on a hard-fought, low scoring win.

• Huff led the Pioneers with 13 points, going 4-for-9 from the floor, 3-for-7 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 at the line.
• Amare Campbell posted a season-high 12 points and six assists, steering key runs in both halves.
• On the glass, Amare Campbell and Josh Ijeh shared team-high honors with six rebounds apiece.
• Ijeh anchored the defense with four blocks and three steals.
• SPU shot 39.6 percent to East Bay's 36.8, but the Pioneers flipped the possession game with a 36-31 rebounding edge and a decisive 18 points off turnovers.

Cal State East Bay head coach Bryan Rooney: "This was a gutty performance tonight by our group against an excellent Seattle Pacific team. I loved the composure our guys showed when SPU made a run in the second half." He added: "Huge week of practice ahead as we prepare for an extremely challenging road trip."

No. 24 Cal State East Bay heads south to face (RV) Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, California, on Friday, Dec. 19. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at The Torodome as CCAA play resumes, the first of two straight road games in Southern California.