ROCKLIN, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team continued its strong start to the 2026-27 season Friday evening, defeating Dominican University of California 85-65 at Warrior Arena. The Pioneers used a balanced offensive effort and a strong presence in the paint to secure their third consecutive victory and improve to 3-0 on the season.
East Bay established an early advantage, opening the contest with consecutive baskets from Jordan Espinoza and Jaayden Bush. Dominican briefly took an 11-9 lead midway through the opening half, but the Pioneers responded with a three-pointer from NaVaughn Long and a dunk from Terence Haywood to regain control.
The Pioneers continued to build their advantage as Mason Honeyman provided a spark offensively. Honeyman scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the opening half, helping East Bay establish a double-digit lead. Connor Sheridan also made an impact off the bench, contributing six first-half points as the Pioneers carried a 42-27 advantage into halftime.
Dominican opened the second half with renewed energy, cutting the deficit to eight points at 47-39 with 16:08 remaining. However, East Bay responded with a 14-2 run to extend its advantage to 61-41 with 12:44 remaining. Honeyman, Dominic Williams and Aaron Reddish contributed during the stretch as the Pioneers regained control of the contest.
East Bay continued to pull away as Terence Haywood and Takai Emerson-Hardy added baskets in the paint, extending the lead to 22 points at 65-43 with 10:19 remaining.
The Pioneers maintained control throughout the closing minutes, with Sheridan delivering several baskets inside. East Bay eventually built its largest lead of the evening at 73-48 with 7:41 remaining following a fast-break dunk from Evan van der Plas.
Honeyman led East Bay with 18 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field, converting all nine of his free-throw attempts while adding five rebounds, two assists and a block.
Sheridan provided a strong performance off the bench, finishing with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting while collecting six rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Emerson-Hardy followed with eight points and four rebounds, while Haywood contributed seven points.
Bush, Reddish and van der Plas each finished with six points, while Espinoza and Long added five apiece. Long also contributed a team-high three assists, while Bush recorded a team-high three steals.
As a team, East Bay shot 47.1 percent from the field, connecting on 32 of its 68 attempts. The Pioneers dominated the paint with 52 points and received 43 points from their bench. East Bay also held a 47-35 rebounding advantage and limited Dominican to 38.2 percent shooting from the field.
The victory marked East Bay's third consecutive win to begin the 2026-27 campaign, as the Pioneers continued their undefeated start with a balanced offensive performance and strong defensive effort.
