Pioneers lose in overtime

The road woes continued for the Cal State East Bay men’s basketball team on Saturday in Atherton.

The Pioneers lost to Menlo College in overtime 75-74 making CSUEB 1-2 overall this season. The Oaks are now 1-5 overall picking up their first victory of the season over the Pioneers.

“We’ve been looking for our first win and we’ve played a lot of opponents and have gradually been getting better,” Menlo College Head Coach Jon Surface said. “This week has been our best week defensively in practice and we carried it over into the game which is great to see.”

CSUEB has been great in the first half of games this year outscoring their opponents 114-97. That trend continued against the Oaks with the Pioneers taking a 41-36 lead into the break. However, the second halves of games have been less successful for CSUEB as they have been outscored 122-102 in second halves by opponents.

The second half struggles came back to bite the Pioneers as Menlo College erased the halftime deficit forcing the overtime period. Freshman from Pleasant Hill Mikey Eggleton led the way for the Oaks playing 37 minutes totaling a team-high 20 points in the win.

The Pioneers played the Oaks tough all game but could not secure the road victory in the extra session.

“We had a chance to get a road win tonight, but we could not make the big stops and get the big rebounds,” CSUEB Head Coach Gus Argenal said. “We played hard, but Menlo played harder.”

Pioneer guard Jacari Whitfield was crucial down the stretch making history in the process. With 42 seconds remaining in regulation Whitfield gave the Pioneers a 67-64 lead on his CSUEB school record 138th three-pointer of his career. Whitfield is now the all-time leader in three-point field goals in CSUEB history.

“I really try and not think about records and stats,” Whitfield said. “All that matters to me is wins.”

The Pioneers had a chance to win the game in regulation but Fremont native and junior guard Juawnn Springfield had his shot attempt blocked by Oaks forward Zack Wurm sending the contest into overtime. Down by one with just 26 seconds left in overtime Oaks freshman Daniel Romero was fouled in the paint before nailing two clutch free throws and securing the one point triumph for Menlo College.

Ryan Okwudibonye had a team-high 22 points in the loss also adding in nine rebounds for CSUEB. Junior Jack Pasquini also had a big night for the Pioneers amassing 17 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort.

Next up for CSUEB is their first home game of the season at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Pioneer Gymnasium. The Pioneers will take on Bristol University before traveling to Stockton on Dec. 3 to take on the University of the Pacific at 7 p.m.