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POMONA, Calif. – Cal State East Bay is going to the program’s first CCAA Tournament Championship game after earning a 62-52 win over No. 5 seed Cal Poly Pomona. 

Cal State East Bay entered the game as the No. 1 seed and NCAA Division II’s last undefeated team at 28-0. They kept that winning streak going by holding CPP to just .309 percent shooting for the game. Looks were very tough to come by for the Broncos from the opening tip as the Pioneers’ defense swarmed every open shooter. 

In front of a large crowd in Kellogg Arena, Cal Poly Pomona started the game with great energy and took the early lead at 9-6 before CUSEB battled back with a 10-2 run. CPP cut the Pioneers’ lead to one point three more times in the half, but each time Cal State East Bay responded to maintain the lead and take a 30-27 advantage into the locker room. 

The start of the second half is where Cal State East Bay seized control of the game. It on an 11-0 run and held CPP without a basket for the first six minutes to go up 41-27. The Broncos would get the lead back to single digits late in the second half, but the Pioneers’ defense never yielded the lead. 

Cal State East Bay also won the rebounding battle 45-35 and held CPP to 1-of-12 from behind the arc in the second half after it had shot 5-of-7 from 3-point range in the first half. 

Jaayden Bush’s 15 points paced the Pioneers, who shot .404 percent as a team. Tyree Campbell added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Ten of the 11 student-athletes who entered the game for CSUEB put points on the board. Josh Ijeh led the team with eight rebounds.

Kevin Simeth and Jake Goldberg led CPP with 10 points apiece. Malcolm Bell added a season-high 12 rebounds. 

The Pioneers will advance to their first CCAA Championship game, where they will face the No. 3 seed Cal Poly Humboldt at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 7.