After a bumpy start to conference play, California State University, East Bay’s Men’s basketball team caught a hot streak, winning three games in a row by defeating CSU Los Angeles’ Golden Eagles, Chico State’s Wildcats, and Stanislaus State’s Warriors.

The Pioneers have a record of 5-9 throughout this year’s conference play, with six of the nine losses coming within two or fewer possessions. With under 10 games to go, all 12 teams have a shot of making the postseason.

In the 2020 season, East Bay made it to the final four teams in the CCAA tournament. Determined to maintain their streak of close games, the East Bay team is pushing for a playoff seed as the East Bay team is 1.5 games back from the six seed.

So far, the defense has done a phenomenal job helping the Pioneers hold their leads in the past three games. The offense has also been playing well, with several different players coming through during crunch time. One such instance happened with Garrett Pascoe’s clutch jumper, giving the Pioneers a last-second three-point lead on Monday and securing a win over Stanislaus State.

Klonaras Dimitrios, Payden White, Chris James, and Tim Andreolli are among the most notable players in the current Pioneer roster.

Dimitrios has averaged 11.6 points per game (PPG) and 7.3 rebounds per game (REB) in the last three matches at the forward position.

White, a Pioneer forward, and has averaged 14 PPG and 5.3 REB, including a monster 22-point game that ended with a go-ahead dagger to secure the Pioneers a win against Chico State.

Playing at the guard position, James has averaged 10.6 PPG, shooting 45% from the field.

Finally, forward Andreolli averaged 11 PPG and 9 REB, including a game with a double-double, managing 16 points and 15 rebounds along with the rebound to secure Saturday’s game against Stanislaus State.

Another player to watch out for is 6’9 center Grady Lewis, who returned from his two-game stint on Saturday. Lewis is the Pioneers’ leading scorer this season, averaging 14.11 PPG and 6.28 rebounds. His presence has been a huge part of the Pioneers team this year and will continue that way down the stretch.

The Pioneers have a tough slate of games ahead. The East Bay team has shown they can compete in every game as they advance to play four of the top six teams in the next four games, along with a 15-3 San Bernardino team that holds the first-place spot. Will the Pioneers keep the streak alive and continue the run toward the CCAA tournament? Their performance against Cal Poly Pomona on Feb. 2 at the Pioneer Gymnasium will tell.