Pioneer men split conference home games

The Cal State East Bay men’s basketball team went 1-1 in their recent home stand over the weekend at Pioneer Gymnasium in Hayward.

The Pioneers (4-10 overall, 2-6 conference) defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills (4-10), 55-53 when senior guard Jacari Whitfield hit a game-winning runner in the lane with seven seconds left in the game.

“Jacari is a great free throw shooter and he is proven to make shots down the stretch so I felt very comfortable with him taking the last shot,” CSUEB Head Coach Gus Argenal said. “He received a ball screen and made a great read on the defense creating space and making a tough game winning floater.”

Toro’s freshman guard Josh Brown tied the game at 53-53 when he nailed a breakaway layup with just 29 seconds left in the game before CSUEB’s game-winning possession with seven seconds left.

“Josh played big on both sides of the court and Mike Hill also gave us a spark off the bench with his effort and intensity,” CSUDH Interim Head Coach Steve Becker said. “But East Bay and head coach Gus Argenal deserve all the credit as they competed and closed when they needed to.”

Freshman forward Patrick Marr led the way for CSUEB nabbing 12 points in 26 minutes on the floor.

Senior guard Cody Kale scored ten points in 23 minutes and junior forward Jack Pasquini tallied nine points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes on the floor.
Cal State Los Angeles came to Hayward on Saturday and spoiled the second game of the home stand as they dominated the Pioneers and won by a final of 62-50.
The Golden Eagles controlled most of the game and took a ten-point advantage into the half. CSULA shot 44 percent from the field in the first half and held the Pioneers to a dismal 30 percent from the field.

“We were taken out of our offensive sets and execution because of their defensive pressure and toughness,” Argenal said. “We need to do a better job of playing in an operational area which will allow us to get higher percentage shots each time down the floor.”

CSUEB played better in the second half but they were still outscored by CSULA 30-28.

The Golden Eagles shot 53 percent from the field in the second half and still secured the victory accumulating 20 turnovers.

Pasquini scored 14 points and junior guard Juawnn Springfield scored 12 points and pulled three boards in the loss.

Next for the Pioneers is a two-game road trip with the first stop in Arcata today against Humboldt State (9-5, 3-5) at 7:30 p.m.

“Heading up to HSU (Humboldt State) is always one of the toughest road trips because of the travel and distance but as a player it does not get better in terms of a basketball environment on the road,” Argenal said.

“I am looking forward to the trip and for the challenge.”

CSUEB will then travel to San Bernardino to take on Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes (4-7, 4-4) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.