HAYWARD – A perfect record against the bottom half of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) has been the salve that’s made the Chico State men’s basketball team’s struggles against the top half bearable. Cal State East Bay just ripped the bandage off. And boy does it hurt.

The last-place Pioneers improved to 2-15 in conference play and 4-17 overall with a 72-66 upset of Chico State Thursday night in Pioneer Gym. The loss dropped the Wildcats into a tie for seventh place in the CCAA standings with Cal State Stanislaus at 7-10. They’re both just a half game ahead of Cal State Monterey Bay and Sonoma State for eighth. Only the top eight teams in the conference earn berths in the CCAA Championship Tournament. The Wildcats, a revelation last season at 16-13, dipped to a disappointing 11-10 overall.

They simply couldn’t stop the bleeding Thursday. Cal State East Bay scored on its final seven possessions to turn a two-point deficit into a win going away. The Pioneers outscored Chico State 20-10 over the final 7:10, including 16-8 over the final 3:13.

Sean Park scored all eight of his points during a span of a little over two minutes as the Wildcats used a 10-2 run to take a 54-50 lead. But no one took the baton from Park. The Wildcats missed six of their next eight shots as Cal State East Bay chipped away at the lead, tied it, and then went ahead for good on Roshun Wynne’s three-point play with 2:46 left.

Rashad Parker’s potential game-tying 3-pointer from the left wing rimmed off and Mark Samuels got into the lane for a layup and a five-point lead. Parker’s pair of free throws cut the lead to three before Adam Watts answered with a bucket inside to stretch it back to five.

Roderick Hawkins’ three-point play trimmed the lead to two, but Donovan Jackson answered with a 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down with 32 seconds left.

Damario Sims sank a 3-pointer, but Wynne sank two free throws with 14 seconds left.

The Wildcats blinked first as Jay Flores’ layup attempt fell off the rim. Jared Waters rebounded, was fouled, and sank two free throws to put the game away. In the process, he put the Wildcats’ playoff hopes in jeapordy.

Terence Pellum and Roderick Hawkins led the Wildcats with 14 points apiece. Pellum added 10 rebounds and matched his career high with four blocked shots. Hawkins, who played only 22 minutes because of foul trouble, hit 4-of-5 field goals and 6-of-7 free throws and now needs only 41 more points to reach 1,000 in his career with five regular-season games remaining.

Freshman Amir Carraway played his best game as a Wildcat, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds in 12 minutes in relief of Hawkins. Park, Sims and Flores scored eight points apiece.

East Bay’s Jackson led all players with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Samuels, held to just three points in the first meeting between these teams this season, finished with 18. Wynne and Waters scored 12 apiece.

The Wildcats will attempt to salvage their road trip Saturday at UC San Diego. The Tritons, at 5-12 in the CCAA, will be desperate to win and keep their playoff hopes alive.

BOX SCORE

GAME NOTES – The Wildcats entered the night 7-0 against teams below them in the standings…Flores, ranked fifth in the nation in assist-to-turnover entering the night, finished with just two assists and three turnovers…East Bay improved to 4-2 when limiting opponents to 66 points or fewer…This also marked just the sixth time this season the Pioneers outrebounded their opponent. They improved to 4-2 in those games as well…The Wildcats fell to 2-6 on the road this season…They’re 2-9 when allowing 70-plus points…This was Pellum’s fifth double-digit rebound effort of the season, but his first double-double…Ten of Pellum’s 58 career blocked shots have come against the Pioneers…He now has 31 rejections this season, tied for the seventh most in the school’s single-season history with Ben Perak (2001-02)…Hawkins became the fourth Chico State player in history to hit his 300th free throw during the game. He’s now made 303 overall and needs four more to move past Deon Robinson into third on that list, nine more to move past Jason Van Eck into second, and merely 412 more to match the record holder, George Maderos, at 715.