FULL NOTEBOOK vs. EAST BAY IN PDF FORMAT


SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team continues its five-game homestand Tuesday by hosting conference travel partner Cal State East Bay in The Kelp Bed. Tipoff will be at 7:30 p.m. as the nightcap of men's/women's doubleheader action.

Fans who can't make the game can follow the action live on KION 1460 AM and OtterAthletics.com. Rob Ponce and John Berlin will call the action.


SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: After starting the season 7–5, the Pioneers limp into Tuesday's game having lost nine straight. They nearly upset CCAA frontrunner Cal Poly Pomona Saturday night but fell in the final minute, 52–51, in Pioneer Gym. Mark Samuels leads three Pioneers in double figures at 16.2 points per game, good for second in the CCAA. Jason Smith (10.5 ppg) is second in the CCAA with 60 three–point field goals.

WHEN LAST WE MET: The Otters nearly pulled off a comeback win for the ages Dec. 30 in Hayward, erasing a 19–point deficit in the final 16 minutes to take an 87–86 lead with 47 seconds remaining. But down one and holding the ball for the last shot, the Otters threw the ball away with three ticks left, allowing East Bay to escape with a 91–87 victory. Brandon Ward (Riverside/Woodcrest HS) led five Otters in double figures with 21 points. Roshun Wynne led East Bay with 22.

ABOUT LAST WEEK: Cal Poly Pomona held the Otters to a season–low 35 points in a 64–35 setback to open CSUMB's five–game homestand. Moving on… The Otters came back with a solid second half performance Saturday, taking a late lead before San Francisco State held on for an 81–78 win. Brandon Ward led the way with 18 points.

Despite 24 points from Roshun Wynne the Pioneers opened the weekend with a 78–71 home loss to San Francisco State. In the loss to Cal Poly Pomona, Mark Samuels led the way with 19 points and four rebounds.

SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE: Something has to give when the Otters and Pioneers meet Tuesday night. CSUMB enters the game on a 16–game losing streak while East Bay comes to town riding a nine–game skid. They are the two longest streaks in the CCAA this season.

CLOSE BUT ONE CIGAR: With the exception of their Dec. 3 overtime win against Sonoma State, close games have spelled doom for the Otters so far in 2011–12. Including Saturday's game with SFSU, the Otters have had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute seven times this season, ultimately falling in six of those games. For the record, the games were: Westminster College (L), Sonoma State (W), Notre Dame de Namur (L), Cal State L.A. (L), Cal State East Bay (L), UCSD (L) and SFSU (L).

GIVE THAT MAN A HAND: Junior swingman Derrick Anderson (Pittsburg HS) enjoyed the best passing night of his collegiate career Saturday against San Francisco State, dishing a personal record six assists against the Gators.

WARD ON A ROLL: Brandon Ward has carried his share of the offensive load for the Otters this season, leading the team in scoring 11 times, including six of the last seven games. He's scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games, averaging 17.7 points per game over that span.

THE MONTEREY BAY 500: Brandon Ward's final bucket Dec. 10 at Notre Dame de Namur put him in exclusive company. It lifted the junior guard over 500 career points (501). Ward became just the 16th Otter to reach that plateau. He enters the Cal State East Bay game with 743 points, moving him past Jose Sanchez (729) and Rocky Steryo (736) into 9th place. Next up is Augie Johnston (848) in eighth. Matt Dalhamer owns the Otter record with 1,075 career points.

WATKINS A WHISKER AWAY: Sophomore guard Troy Watkins nearly posted his first collegiate double–double last Jan. 28 at Cal State L.A., finishing with nine points and nine rebounds. The nine rebounds were a career high while the nine points matched his career–high (Nov. 22 vs. Cal–Maritime).

START ME UP: By starting Saturday's game against San Francisco State, Brandon Ward continued his steady climb up the CSUMB career starts top 10 list. Ward made his 65th Otter start last night, solidifying his hold on sole possession of the No. 4 slot. Should Ward start all 26 regular season games in 2011–12, he would end the season with 70 career starts, No. 3 on the all–time list and just six off the record held by current assistant coach Joe Mitchell. Also of note, Derrick Anderson made his 59th career start last night and holds sole possession of No. 5 on the CSUMB career list.

THE WARD GIVETH… Brandon Ward passed for two assists Saturday night versus San Francisco State, bringing his career total to 173 assists, good for sole possession of the No. 4 spot. He is seven behind current Assistant Coach Joe Mitchell (180) for the No. 3 spot.

…AND THE WARD TAKETH AWAY: Brandon Ward collected another steal Saturday versus San Francisco State to solidify his hold on the No. 7 spot on the CSUMB career list with 67 steals. He enters Tuesday's game one behind Davion Berry and Chris Hardy for the No. 5 spot

OTTERS AMONG THE CCAA LEADERS: Several Otters entered this week's action ranked among the CCAA leaders. Here are the numbers and ranking entering the week for CSUMB players ranked in the top 10:
NOW THAT'S SMARTS: The Otter men's basketball team boasted three players who earned CCAA All–Academic honors for their classroom work in 2010–11. The Otter triumvirate of James Albert, Brenden Fripp and Brandon Ward made CSUMB the only school to place three men's basketball players on the list. In case you were wondering, Albert posted a 3.65 grade point average as a business administration major. Ward posted a 3.90 GPA as a business administration major.