HAYWARD, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team opened the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament with an 83–64 victory over Cal Poly Humboldt on Friday night at Pioneer Gym. The Pioneers advanced to the West Regional semifinal while improving to a perfect 31–0 on the season with the victory.
Cal Poly Humboldt struck first and built an early 19–9 advantage in the opening minutes before EB turned up the defense and ripped off an 11-0 run to take the lead. Josh Ijeh was instrumental on both ends during the run, blocking shots and scoring multiple buckets. The game went back-and-forth for the remainder of the first half before the Pioneers took control late in the half, eventually carrying a 34–31 lead into the break.
The Pioneers wasted no time building their margin after halftime, using multiple baskets by Campbell to put some distance. East Bay opened the second half with a quick burst, scoring the first seven points in less than two minutes to stretch the lead to double digits. They would eventually put the game out of reach with some stellar shooting from outside, knocking down five second half 3-pointers. East Bay shot over 56 percent from the field after halftime and outscored the Lumberjacks 49–33 over the final 20 minutes.
Campbell led the charge with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting while adding four rebounds and three steals. Ijeh was nearly perfect from the floor, finishing with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and six rebounds as East Bay dominated the interior.
Depth also played a major role in the victory.
Terence Haywood provided a huge lift off the bench with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, helping the Pioneers generate 28 bench points.
Ramsey Huff added nine points, while point guard
Jaayden Bush directed the offense with seven assists to go along with eight points and two rebounds.
East Bay's defense created consistent opportunities in transition, forcing 25 Humboldt turnovers that turned into 26 Pioneer points. The Pioneers also controlled the paint with a 46-point effort inside and held the Lumberjacks to just one three-pointer in the second half.
With the win, Cal State East Bay will take on Cal State Dominguez Hills at 7:30 pm in the second semifinal tomorrow evening.
