SJSU over Cal State East Bay

Cal State East Bay ventured a bit south on Sunday to match up with San Jose State University. The result? An 84-65 homecourt victory for the Spartans.

From Pioneer athletics:

The Cal State East Bay men's basketball team fell to San jose State in an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 84-65 in front of a crowd of 1,146 at SJSU Event Center. For the Pioneers, it was their second straight contest against a Division I opponent to open the 2014-15 season.

Junior transfer Juawnn Springfield led the team with 15 points, knocking down 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Senior Nick Grieves went 3-for-5 from long range and finished with 13 points.

The Spartans had the hot hand in the early going, making six of their first eight field goals and four of their first seven three-pointers. SJSU jumped out to a 21-13 lead at the first media timeout, but the Pioneers were able to make some defensive adjustments. They came storming back, and a three by Jack Pasquni cut the Spartan lead to five at 29-24.

The teams were called for 24 total fouls before halftime, so both squads got into the bonus midway through the first half. This benefited San Jose State, which made nine of its 10 first-half free throws and stretched out the lead to 51-34 heading into the break. 

The Pioneer defense managed to cool down the Spartans a bit in the second half, forcing them to take some tough shots. After shooting 54.8 percent in the opening frame, the home team hit at just 33.3 percent in the second half. Unfortunately, the East Bay shooters also struggled to get hot and finished the second half 6-for-24 from the field.

The Pioneers found themselves in quick foul trouble once again after halftime. They were called for eight fouls before the Spartans committed their first of the half, which resulted in San Jose State spending quite a bit of time at the foul line down the stretch. Ultimately, East Bay didn't give away much ground as the Spartans edged them out just 33-31 in the second half. But the Pioneers also weren't able to make a sustained rally. SJSU ended up out-shooting the Pioneers 46.2 percent to 31.6 percent for the game en route to the 19-point victory.

Freshman Patrick Marr had another impressive performance in just his second collegiate game, reaching double figures for the first time with 10 points on 2-for-3 shooting. 

Senior Ryan Okwudibonye finished with a team-high seven rebounds, and junior Pasquini added seven points and five boards. 

Senior Jarred Jourdan notched seven points and led the team with three assists in 21 minutes before fouling out. Junior Tre Mauldin knocked down a couple of threes, also posting seven points before getting called for his fifth foul. Junior Marcus Norman grabbed four boards and finished with a plus/minus of +13 in 20 minutes, best on the squad.