CARSON, Calif. — No. 19 Cal State East Bay stayed unbeaten Friday night, outlasting (RV) Cal State Dominguez Hills 89-82 in a high-scoring showdown at the Torodome. The Pioneers (9-0, 3-0) erased a double-digit deficit and leaned on clutch free throws to secure their ninth straight win.
Dominguez Hills controlled the first half, building an 11-point lead at 5:44 after Josiah Sanders' jumper made it 28-17. East Bay clawed back late, sparked by Amare Campbell's layup at 3:05. That bucket ignited a 9-2 run capped by Tyree Campbell's second-chance layup with 42 seconds left, trimming the margin to 38-35 at halftime.
The second half opened with fireworks as Tyree Campbell drilled a 3-pointer just 17 seconds in to tie it at 38-38. From there, the game swung back and forth until Jaayden Bush's free throws at 13:31 gave East Bay a lead, 51-49 that ultimately would not be relinquished. Ramsey Huff fueled the surge with a pair of big shots, including a jumper at 10:42 and a triple at 9:37 that pushed the lead to six.
The Pioneers built their largest advantage at 4:21 when Amare Campbell sank two free throws for a 77-66 cushion. Dominguez Hills answered with late 3-pointers, including one from Sanders with 14 seconds left and another from DaSean Stevens at four seconds, but East Bay never flinched. The Pioneers didn't hit a field goal in the final five minutes, yet Campbell's 14-for-16 performance at the line, including the game's final eight points, sealed the victory.
Campbell finished with a team-high 23 points, becoming the first Pioneer since 2019 to make 14 free throws in a game. Huff scored a career-best 20 points, and Tyree Campbell added 19. Josh Ijeh pulled down 12 rebounds to lead a 42-35 edge on the glass. Ten Pioneers recorded assists, with Amare Campbell dishing four as East Bay tallied 19 helpers on 27 made baskets. Both teams shot near 42 percent, but East Bay's second-chance points (26-13) and bench scoring (42-2) proved decisive.
"Super proud of our group tonight," head coach Bryan Rooney said. "Nineteen of our 27 made baskets were assisted, which is indicative of the love and care our guys have for one another. Great thing about our conference is we have another huge challenge on Sunday versus a very talented Cal State LA team. We need an excellent practice tomorrow to prepare. Go Pioneers!"
East Bay closes the 2025 portion of the schedule on Sunday at Cal State LA. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at University Gym in Los Angeles.
