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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - No. 5 seed Cal State East Bay defeated No. 4 seed Chico State 84-76 to advance to the semifinals of the 2024 CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Mar. 7)
 
Tyree Campbell led all scorers with 24 points. He shot 8-of-12 from the field, 3-for-3 on 3-pointers, and 5-of-5 at the free throw line. He also added eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
 
Dimitrios Klonaras posted 21 points, including five 3-pointers, as Pioneers finished 10-of-22 from behind the arc. Grady Lewis had 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Daeshawn Eaton came off the bench to register 13 points and six boards.
 
Miles Daniels' 17 points led four Chico State student-athletes in double-figures with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Evan Oliver (14) and Isaiah Kerr (11) gave the Wildcats 25 combined points off the bench. Jojo Murphy chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds.
 
Two key end-of-half runs were the keys to the Pioneers' victory. An Evan Oliver 3-pointer brought Chico State within four with 2:11 remaining. CSUEB countered by scoring the last nine points of the half on a pair of 3s by Campbell and another by Klonaras to take a 49-37 lead into intermission.
 
The Pioneers pushed their advantage to 15 points early in the half, but Chico State began to chip away at the lead. Back-to-back layups by Kerr got Chico within seven (61-54) with 8:45 left, but the Pioneers answered on the offensive end as the teams exchanged baskets until less than three minutes remained.
 
Daniels then hit a 3-pointer and a layup within 30 seconds to cut the Pioneers' lead to 77-74 with 1:40 remaining. Eaton drove the lane during the ensuing possession, but his layup attempt rolled off the rim. Lewis went above the rim, and as the ball exited the cylinder, he tipped in the basket to push the lead back to five.
 
Chico worked the ball into Kerr low in the paint on its next possession, but Klonaras came through with a clutch block and gave his team back the possession. The Wildcats still had a chance after an empty possession by the Pioneers, but the CSUEB stepped up again, forcing a turnover. CSUEB proceeded to hit 5-of-6 free throws in the last 21 seconds to seal the win.
 
Cal State East Bay will now advance to face Cal State San Bernardino in the CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals on Friday, Mar. 8, at 8 p.m. This season, CSUEB holds a 2-0 lead in the series.