HAYWARD, Calif. — On a charged Thursday evening inside Pioneer Gymnasium, No. 2 Cal State East Bay showcased its resilience once again, holding off Stanislaus State 77-70 to remain undefeated at 27-0 overall and 11-0 in CCAA play. The Pioneers survived a night of momentum swings, big runs and late pressure, ultimately sealing the win at the free throw line to keep their perfect season alive.
The early stages played out like a pendulum. East Bay opened with a crisp 7-2 start. During the 7-2 start, Tyree Campbell scored the Pioneers' fourth point of the game on a fastbreak layup, signifying the point in which East Bay as a team crossed the 1,000-point total on the season. Despite an early lead, the Pioneers saw the Warriors erupt for an 11-2 run to take a 13-10 edge. The response was immediate and emphatic. A barrage of long range shooting fueled an 11-0 Pioneer surge — two 3-pointers from Payden White and another from Matt Williams — putting East Bay ahead 21-13 with 10:34 left in the first half. The Pioneers controlled the lead the rest of the way before halftime, though a review overturned a potential buzzer-beater that would have stretched the margin. Instead, East Bay settled for a 36-32 advantage at the break.
Stanislaus State wasted no time erasing it. A pair of quick steals to open the second half turned into transition baskets, and suddenly the game was tied 36-36 as both teams traded blows in the early minutes. The Warriors briefly surged ahead, setting the stage for one of the game's defining moments.
With East Bay trailing 55-54 and 10:40 remaining, Takai Emerson-Hardy rose up on the wing and buried a go‑ahead 3-pointer. The shot ignited a blistering 13-2 run, turning a one‑point deficit into a 67-57 Pioneer lead and creating just enough separation for the stretch run. East Bay would push the advantage to 11, and though the Warriors cut it to five in the final minute, Ramsey Huff stepped to the line and calmly sank two free throws to put the game out of reach.
Tyree Campbell led the Pioneers with 16 points on an efficient 6-for-10 shooting night while adding three free throws. Amare Campbell scored 11, and Huff finished with 10. As Huff went 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, he is now tied for third all-time in program history for 3-pointers (127).
Rebounding was evenly spread across the roster, with Tyree Campbell, Jaayden Bush and Jalen Foy each collecting five of East Bay's 32 boards, matching Stanislaus State's total. Bush and Foy also delivered defensive sparks with three steals apiece. The Pioneers shot a strong 56 percent from the field while holding the Warriors to 45.3 percent.
After the game, head coach Bryan Rooney praised both the crowd and his team's perseverance. "Huge appreciation for our crowd tonight! We hit some tough patches and the energy our fans provided was a difference maker." Rooney added, "We are extremely excited to celebrate a very special senior class on Saturday. Go Pioneers!"
Cal State East Bay closes its 2025-26 regular season on Saturday, Feb. 28, when it hosts UC Merced at 7:30 p.m. in Pioneer Gymnasium. The Pioneers, who defeated the Bobcats 75-62 in their last meeting on Jan. 15, will aim to complete an undefeated regular season while honoring their senior class on a milestone night in Hayward.
