HAYWARD, Calif. — Playing in front of an energetic Thursday evening crowd at Pioneer Gymnasium, No. 5 Cal State East Bay rolled to an 87-70 victory over Cal State San Marcos, extending its historic unbeaten run to 17 games and remaining perfect in CCAA play.
The Pioneers set the tone immediately and never relinquished control, jumping out to an early lead and going wire-to-wire in a performance defined by pace, defensive pressure and timely shot-making. East Bay led by double digits for long stretches and pulled away decisively midway through the second half to secure the home win.
The opening minutes belonged to Cal State East Bay, which raced to a 7-0 lead in the first four minutes as its defense smothered San Marcos and forced early empty possessions. The advantage steadily grew, and at the 9:27 mark of the first half, Matt Williams knocked down a 3-pointer to push the margin to 24-12, igniting the crowd.
San Marcos responded with a push of its own, trimming the deficit to five at the 1:44 mark of the first half. The momentum swing was brief. Moments later, Amare Campbell jumped a passing lane for a steal and finished a fastbreak dunk, halting the Cougars' surge and restoring a 40-33 cushion. The Pioneers carried that energy into the locker room, taking a 42-33 lead into halftime.
Out of the break, Cal State East Bay (17-0, 11-0 CCAA) turned control into separation. A three-point play by Jalen Foy at the 14:04 mark of the second half sparked a dominant stretch, as the Pioneers unleashed a 23-10 run over less than eight minutes. Crisp ball movement, rebounding on both ends and turnovers forced by relentless pressure fueled the spurt, which expanded the lead to 75-55.
San Marcos continued to compete down the stretch, shaving a few points off the margin, but the outcome was never in doubt as East Bay answered each push with timely baskets and defensive stops. The final minutes were marked by poise and depth as the Pioneers closed out another convincing conference victory.
Ramsey Huff led the way with a season-high 22 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the floor and knocking down three shots from beyond the arc while adding three makes at the free-throw line. Foy and Campbell each scored 13 points, while Jaayden Bush added 11. Bush also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Campbell anchored the defense with four steals and a block as East Bay finished with a 40-30 advantage on the glass. The Pioneers shot 50.8 percent from the field compared to 39.6 percent for the Cougars.
"I loved our energy tonight against an excellent San Marcos team," head coach Bryan Rooney said. "We will need a high level defensive effort on Saturday versus Monterey. I am excited we have the opportunity to play in front of our crowd again. The fans were tremendous tonight."
Cal State East Bay returns to Pioneer Gymnasium on Saturday, January 24, welcoming Cal State Monterey Bay for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff as the Pioneers look to continue their unbeaten run in front of the home crowd.
