SEASIDE, Calif. — On a tense Thursday evening inside The Kelp Bed, No. 2 Cal State East Bay remained the only unbeaten team in NCAA Division II and set a new program record for wins in a season at 25, rallying late to defeat Cal State Monterey Bay 70-68. The victory marked the Pioneers' 25th of the season, surpassing the 40‑year-old record held by the 1985-86 team, and it came with all the drama of a heavyweight conference fight.
The opening minutes of the first half swung back and forth, with neither team able to create breathing room. At the 7:09 mark, Ramsey Huff sliced through the lane for a layup that put the Pioneers ahead 22-16, their largest lead before halftime. But that cushion evaporated quickly as the Otters surged on a 12-1 run, flipping the energy of the game and sending the home crowd into full voice. Monterey Bay stretched its advantage to seven in the final minute of the half on a Mezziah Oakman dunk, and though East Bay trimmed the deficit, the Otters carried a 35-30 lead into the break.
Monterey Bay held firm for more than 10 minutes into the second half, maintaining a lead that hovered between three and seven points. The game's momentum shifted when Joshua Ijeh muscled in a layup at the 8:47 mark, sparking seven straight Pioneer points and setting the stage for a gripping finish. From there, the contest became a series of traded blows. With 1:31 left and the game tied 61-61, Tyree Campbell carved to the rim to give East Bay a brief lead. The Otters responded with a three from Jayden Tengan 44 seconds from the horn, putting Monterey Bay back on top 64-63.
On the ensuing possession, Jaayden Bush absorbed contact, stepped to the line and coolly buried two free throws to reclaim the lead. Though he missed his third attempt, Jalen Foy tore into the paint for a clutch offensive rebound and drew a foul, drilling both shots to extend the lead to 67-64 with 23 seconds remaining. Foy then delivered the play of the night seconds later, a steal and again being fouled. Two more free throws pushed the cushion to 69-64, punctuating his takeover in the final minute. After an Otters tip‑in, Amare Campbell drew a foul and hit one at the line with eight seconds remaining to make it a two‑possession game. The Pioneers (25-0, 19-0 CCAA) held firm defensively to secure the record-setting win.
Foy led East Bay with 15 points on 4-for-14 shooting, including a pair from beyond the arc, and 5-for-6 at the line. He also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds to notch his first double-double as a Pioneer, and of course the most important steal of the game.
Campbell added 13 points and now sits at 998 for his career, just two shy of becoming the newest member of the program's 1,000‑point club. With 998 career points, he also rises to sixth on the Pioneers' all-time scoring list. Huff contributed 11 points, while Bush and Ijeh each scored 10.
East Bay outrebounded Monterey Bay 53-46 and overcame a cold shooting night at 32.9 percent from the floor, countering the Otters' 41.4 percent with grit on the glass and clutch execution.
Head coach Bryan Rooney praised his group's toughness after the milestone win. "I am extremely proud of our guys and the resilience they showed tonight. Credit Monterey – they pushed us to the brink but we didn't blink and made huge plays down the stretch. Special shoutout to the fellow Pioneer student-athletes who made the long drive to support us tonight. There is a special culture with Pioneer Athletics and we are proud to be Pioneers!"
Cal State East Bay returns to action Saturday, February 21, traveling to The Sports Center to face Cal State San Marcos at 3 p.m. for their final regular season road game. The Pioneers won the previous meeting against the Cougars, 87-70 on January 22.
