HAYWARD, Calif. — Playing before a lively Pioneer Gymnasium crowd on Thursday evening, the No. 3 Cal State East Bay men's basketball team delivered a statement performance, rolling past Cal State LA 102-79 to clinch a berth in the 2025-26 CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, scheduled for March 5-7 in Pomona. The Pioneers' relentless offense was on display from the opening minutes and never relented, pushing past the 100-point mark for the first time in more than four years.
Cal State East Bay set the tone almost immediately. Less than two minutes into the contest, Jaayden Bush buried a 3-pointer from beyond the arc, and after forcing a Golden Eagles turnover, Ramsey Huff followed with a triple of his own to jump-start the attack. Up 6-4, Josh Ijeh knocked down a jumper at the 16:05 mark, igniting an 11-0 run that created the first real separation and put the Pioneers firmly in control.
The run was just the beginning of a dominant first half for Cal State East Bay (21-0, 15-0 CCAA). With the defense tightening and the ball moving crisply, the lead continued to grow. Another pivotal stretch began at the 5:21 mark when, holding a 41-26 advantage, Amare Campbell finished a layup to spark a surge that stretched the margin to 25. During that span of more than three minutes, the Golden Eagles were held without a field goal as East Bay repeatedly converted in transition and in the paint. Tyree Campbell capped the half by slicing to the rim for a driving layup in the closing seconds, sending the Pioneers into the break with a commanding 58-34 lead.
The momentum carried seamlessly into the second half. Just 10 seconds after play resumed, Tyree Campbell again broke through the defense for another layup. Cal State East Bay continued to attack from all angles, with balanced scoring punishing any defensive lapse. The lead swelled to as many as 34 points midway through the second half, highlighted by a Takai Emerson-Hardy layup at the 10:26 mark. While Cal State LA managed to chip away slightly late, the outcome was never in doubt. With 1:12 remaining, Michael Padilla calmly sank a free throw to give East Bay its 100th point of the night, sealing a 102-79 victory that kept the Pioneers unbeaten.
Five Pioneers reached double figures in scoring, led by Bush with 14 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting night that included one 3-pointer and a free throw. Jalen Foy and Emerson-Hardy each scored 12 points, while Huff and Hayden Haywood added 10 apiece. Huff was flawless from long range, knocking down all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. The Pioneers' offensive efficiency was underscored by 25 assists on 39 made field goals, with 12 different players recording at least one assist. East Bay received exactly half of its 102 points from the bench, totaling 51. On the glass, Foy and Matthew Williams led the way with five rebounds each, and Foy added three steals on the defensive end. Cal State East Bay outrebounded Cal State LA 38-29 and shot 57.4 percent from the field, compared to 50.0 percent for the Golden Eagles.
"Very unselfish effort offensively tonight by the squad with 25 assists," head coach Bryan Rooney said. "Coach [Russell Payne] developed an excellent plan and our guys executed it well."
With the victory, Cal State East Bay surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time since a 105-80 win at Cal State LA on Dec. 2, 2021, and earned a return trip to th CCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2023-24 season.
The Pioneers will look to keep the momentum rolling in conference play on Saturday, at home against (RV) Cal State Dominguez Hills in the next step of their CCAA schedule. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
