Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Despite a game-high 22 points from Gary Gordon, and a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double from Austin Hudson, the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team fell 86-80 against Cal State East Bay in the first game of the Penguin Preseason Conference Challenge Friday evening inside the Conlan Center on the Dominican University campus.
 
The 'Jackets (0-1) overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to work their way back into the game, but CSUEB held tough down the stretch and maintained its advantage. Nick Grieves had a team-high 19 points for CSUEB, and five total Pioneers finished in double-figures in scoring.
 
"Credit to East Bay for coming out and playing better than us tonight," said MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "There is a difference at this level between having good stats and playing winning basketball."
 
MSUB received 21 points from senior Antoine Hosley, who shot 7-for-15 from the field and had two assists. Gordon nearly had a double-double as well, finishing with eight rebounds to add to his 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Momir Gataric finished with 13 points and grabbed three rebounds for MSUB.
 
Hudson was 9-for-15 from the floor, keeping MSUB alive in the game with his presence underneath. Overall as a team the 'Jackets shot 54.0 percent from the floor (27 of 50) and were hampered by poor foul shooting at 56.8 percent (25 of 44). Hosley accounted for the only 3-pointer of the game for MSUB, as the 'Jackets shot 1-for-7 from behind the arc.
 
"We shot 44 free-throws, three guys with 20 points, and shot 54 percent from the field yet still got beat," Stevens said. "It goes to show you that having good stats doesn't always correlate with winning basketball. When our guys figure that out, we will have a chance."
 
For the Pioneers (1-0) the victory was the first of the season as the team also opened its 2014-15 campaign. Juawnn Springfield (15), Ryan Okwudibonye (13), Marcus Norman (12) and Jack Pasquini (10) were CSUEB's other double-digit scorers, and Pasquini came up two rebounds shy of a double-double with eight. Springfield finished with a game-high five assists.
 
The Pioneers shot slightly worse from the floor than the 'Jackets at 51.6 percent (33-for-64), but benefitted from six 3-pointers on 11 attempts from long range. From the foul line, CSUEB finished the evening 14-for-22 for a percentage of 63.3. The Pioneers never rescinded the lead, keeping themselves ahead from start-to-finish in the victory.
 
Trailing 24-11 coming out of a timeout in the first, the 'Jackets kept pace through the middle of the first half, but the Pioneers upped their lead to 30-16 with 7:29 before the break.
 
CSUEB closed the half strong, carrying a 42-29 edge into the locker rooms.
 
Hudson had nearly completed the double-double by halftime, as he had nine points and nine boards at the break.
 
Emerging from the break, the Yellowjackets inched their way back into the game as the second half opened. Gordon knocked down a mid-range jumper that cut the deficit to 50-42, but the Pioneers managed to reestablish a double-figure lead at 54-44 with 13:12 remaining.
 
After a pair of free-throws, Gataric soared from behind for a big block, and returned to the other end on a fast-break for a bucket to make the score 54-48. The 6-0 MSUB run pushed CSUEB to burn a timeout, as the game drew closer midway through the second.
 
A pair of Gataric free-throws cut the deficit to five points, but Norman countered with a deep 3-pointer to push the Pioneers back out in front.
 
CSUEB kept its foot on the gas, as a wide-open trey kicked the advantage up to 16 points at 70-54.
 
With less than three minutes left, Hudson wrestled down a rebound to give the 'Jackets possession trailing 77-69. On the opposite end, a three by Gordon rattled out but Hudson fought his way in for the offensive board and the put-back layup to cut the deficit to six points.
 
MSUB kept fighting inside of one minute to play. When CSUEB threw the ball out of bounds on a wild pass, Gordon turned it into two points going end-to-end for the layup to make the score 81-76. The 'Jackets couldn't quite catch up however, as a buzzer-beater by Gordon went in but only brought the score to 86-80.
 
NEXT UP: MSUB takes on Cal State Stanislaus Saturday evening as the tournament hosted by Dominican University continues. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. inside the Conlan Center, with live video and statistics available throughout.