SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – For the first time since the 2019-20 season, Cal State East Bay men's basketball has advanced to the semifinals of the CCAA Tournament. The Pioneers defeated Chico State, 84-76 in the opening round of the 2023-24 CCAA Tournament at Coussoulis Arena.
 

The Pioneers jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead on the Wildcats held that lead until the 11:54 mark of the first half when Chico State tied the game at 17-17. Chico State led by two points later in the half, ahead 25-23 at the 8:57 mark, but a layup to follow by Daeshawn Eaton tied the game at 25-25.
 
On the next offensive possession for the Pioneers, a 3-pointer by Payden White broke the tie. Although the Wildcats kept the game close, as late as the 2:11 mark, a 3-pointer by Tyree Campbell with 1:39 left in the half was the first of three unanswered baskets by CSUEB from beyond the arc to finish the half, as Cal State East Bay led 49-37. Of the 49 points in the first half for the Pioneers, 27 were from 3-pointers.
 
The Pioneers extended their lead to 15 points less than a minute into the second half, as Dimitrios Klonaras made a 3-pointer.
 
However, the lead shrunk to single digits later in the half, as Chico State was able to steadily keep pace and eventually cut the deficit to three points at the 1:40 mark when the lead for CSUEB was only 77-74. From that point though, a layup by Grady Lewis and a combination of five made free throws by Eaton and White, helped the Pioneers reestablish a multi-possession lead, as Chico State was held to no more field goals in the game in which the Pioneers prevailed for an 84-76 win.
 

• Leading the Pioneers in scoring was Campbell, who finished with 24 points, going 8-for-12 from the floor, 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
• Klonaras added 21 points. He made five 3-pointers which was the most for a Pioneer this season.
• Also scoring in double figures for the Pioneers were Eaton with 13 and Lewis with 11.
• Sharing a team-high eight rebounds each were Campbell and Lewis.
• Defensively, Lewis had one block and three steals.
• Leading Chico State in scoring with 17 points was Miles Daniels.
• The Pioneers shot 42.2 percent from the floor while the Wildcats shot 41.4 percent in field goals.
• Cal State East Bay had a 42-39 rebounding edge.   

Cal State East Bay head coach Bryan Rooney following Thursday's CCAA Tournament win:
"I was very, very proud of our resolve. There were times when we could have broken, especially when they made runs there in the second half. But our guys just stuck together. And we've been saying it the entire year. We have really good players and when we play together, we feel we have a shot against anybody. That's one of the region's best teams, so we're very proud as a staff of our players and we're very thankful for another opportunity to get after it tomorrow night."
 

The Pioneers advance to the semifinals of the 2023-24 CCAA Tournament, which takes place Friday evening at Coussoulis Arena against the tournament's top seed and host, Cal State San Bernardino. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. In the regular season, the Pioneers won both games against the Coyotes, including one of the matchups happening on the same floor as the upcoming semifinal, which was a 74-71 win on December 7.