HAYWARD, Calif. — No. 3 Cal State East Bay kept its historic run rolling Saturday evening at Pioneer Gymnasium, pulling away early and never looking back in a 79-57 win over (RV) Cal State Dominguez Hills. Behind a blistering first half and sustained defensive pressure, the Pioneers stretched their win streak to 22 games, improving to 22-0 overall and 16-0 in CCAA play.
East Bay set the tone almost immediately. Tyree Campbell buried a 3-pointer just 20 seconds into the game, igniting a 7-0 burst that seized control. The Pioneers spaced the floor and swarmed defensively throughout the first half, stretching the margin to as many as 22. They knocked down six 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes — two each from Tyree Campbell and Ramsey Huff, and one apiece from Matthew Williams and Amare Campbell — and carried a commanding 41-21 advantage into the break.
The momentum carried seamlessly into the second half. Cal State East Bay (22-0, 16-0 CCAA) opened on a 12-4 run, punctuated by emphatic dunks from Tyree Campbell and Huff and another Tyree Campbell 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 53-25 less than four minutes in. From there, the Pioneers kept the Toros at arm's length, answering every push and maintaining a 20-plus-point cushion for most of the night. The outcome was never in doubt as East Bay closed out a wire-to-wire win over the conference's second-place team.
Tyree Campbell led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, and added three steals. He now has 963 career points as a Pioneer, climbing to ninth on the program's all-time scoring list and moving within 37 points of 1,000. Huff followed with 15 points, Terence Haywood added 12, and Amare Campbell chipped in 11, giving East Bay four in double figures. Jalen Foy pulled down a season-high and team-best 10 rebounds, and Joshua Ijeh anchored the paint with five blocks, extending his CCAA-leading total to 34. As a team, the Pioneers hit nine 3-pointers, shot 47.7 percent from the field, held Dominguez Hills to 36.9 percent, and won the boards 41-37.
"The energy in our gym tonight was awesome and having our alumni back made it very special," head coach Bryan Rooney said. "I am proud of how selfless our team was on both ends – something that has defined this group and will need to continue going forward."
Cal State East Bay heads north next to face Cal Poly Humboldt on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Lumberjack Arena in Arcata, California. The Pioneers won the previous meeting 95-53 on Jan. 10, and a victory Thursday would clinch at least the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the CCAA Basketball Tournament.
