Angwin, CA – The Pioneers dropped their 2^nd consecutive conference match last Saturday night to the Hawks of Holy Names University, the #1 pre-season team in the Cal Pac (5-0, 7-16).  After playing a decent first half with a score of 38-42, the Pioneers eventually were outlasted 68-84, falling off the pace in the final ten minutes of the second half.

Brandon Monty led the way for the Pioneers with 21 points, and a season high seven assists.  Aren Rennacker put up 14 points, hitting 4-7 from the arc.  Kenny Penn scored 8 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while Danny Sepulveda scored 10 points and added seven rebounds.  

The Hawks offense was led by reigning Cal Pac Player of the Week, David Scott with 28 points.  Scott scored 12-16 from the field.  Johnas Street totaled 24 points, scoring 7-16 from the field, 3-8 from the arc, and 7-8 from the free-throw line.  Street also tallied 8 rebounds. 

With this loss the Pioneers season record drops to 2-3 in the Cal Pac, and 3-11 overall.  They next play at home on Thursday, January 28, at 7:30, when they will play host to CSU Maritime, ranked second after HNU in the Cal Pac.

Atherton, CA – Although the Pioneers fought hard to come back from a score of 24-32 at the half, the Pioneers lost 60-62 last night at the home of the Menlo College Oaks. In total, the Pioneers outshot the Oaks 48% (24-50) to 41% (23-56) in the field, and 46% (6-13) to 33% (3-9) in threes, but came up short at the line 50% (6-12) to 68% (13-19).

After fighting their way back from a 17-point deficit in the second half, Danny Sepulveda’s bucket with 10 seconds remaining tied the score at 60. But Menlo’s Nick McCullar found himself open and knocked down a 20-footer to beat the clock, and vault the Oaks to victory.

Brandon Monty led the Pioneers with 17 points on the evening. Andrew Webster had a great shooting night, in his first start of the season, with 15 points; he scored 5-8 in the field, and a nearly perfect 5-6 from the arc. Kameron Barnes added 12 points of his own and led the Pioneers with 11 rebounds, and tallied 3 blocks.

Although the score heavily relied on multiple shooters, Julian Harris scored the game high for the Oaks with 14 points, scoring 6-12 from the field, and 2-4 in threes. The team grabbed 37 total rebounds to the Pioneers 31, and totaled 10 assists.

The Pioneers fall to 2-2, 3-10. With the win the Oaks gain their first conference win on the season to push their record to 1-3, 5-12. The Pioneers next play at home this Saturday night, January 23 at 8:30 p.m., when they will host the currently ranked #1 team in the Cal Pac, Holy Names University.

Angwin, CA – In what was a back and forth game in the final minute, with five lead changes, the Pioneers were able to escape with a one-point victory, 71-70. After Micah Jones hit a three point shot with three seconds left on the clock, to put the Bruins up 70-68, the Pioneers were able to perfectly execute a full court play that culminated with senior guard Andrew Webster nailing a three pointer as the buzzer sounded. Brandon Monty found Kenny Penn on the inbound who immediately found a streaking Webster who hit nothing but net with a defender in his face.

The Pioneers struggled to find their rhythm on offense shooting only 38% from the field, and a 29-30 deficit. In the second half, the Pioneers capitalized to shoot 61% from the field, 60% in threes. It looked as though the Pioneers might pull away midway through the second half pulling out to a seven point advantage, but the Bruins fought their way back, ultimately taking the lead on a pair of free throws in the final minutes.

Aren Rennacker scored the game high for the Pioneers with 23 points. Rennacker was 7-13 from the field, 5-9 from the arc, and 4-7 at the free-throw line. Kameron Barnes followed with 14 points on 5-10 from the field, 3-5 from the arc. Barnes also added a game-high 11 rebounds. Brandon Monty and Kenny Penn were also key members of the Pioneers offense; Monty tallied 4 assists, and Penn tallied 5.

Micah Jones hit the game high for the Bruins with an 23 points, shooting an impressive 7-12 from the field, 5-7 from the arc, and a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. Joey Krueter added 16 points and six rebounds, capitalizing on five of seven field goal attempts.

With this win, the Pioneers push their record to 2-1 in the Cal Pac, and 3-9 overall. The Bruins are now 1-3 in the Cal Pac, and 2-15 overall. The Pioneers are on the road against Menlo College (4-11, 0-3), this Thursday, January 21, at 8:00.

Rocklin, CA – Last Saturday night the Pioneers returned to the road to compete in a conference match-up against the Warriors of William Jessup University. Unable to control the game from the beginning, but not too far out of reach, the Pioneers trailed the Warriors 33-38 at the half, but lost the game 59-74.

Kameron Barnes scored the game high for the Pioneers with 17 points. Barnes shot 6-9 from the field and  4-5 at the free-throw line. Manny Gonzales had a productive night; he scored nine points and had 2 steals. Kenny Penn remained a threat in the post, scoring 12 points, and tallying 8 rebounds. Although the Pioneers scored low individually, as a team, they shot an impressive 80% from the line.

Although the Pioneers and the Warriors took the same number of shots across the chart, the Warriors were ultimately able to capitalize on high percentage shots, while knocking down 40% of their three point attempts. The Pioneers kept themselves within striking distance for the majority of the game but were unable to find a rhythm, and slow the penetration and limit the open looks to the Warriors guards. The Pioneers (and Cal Pac) scoring leader, Brandon Monty, was held out of the contest due to injury, with the timetable for his return to the line-up yet to be determined.

The Pioneers are on the road this Thursday against UC Santa Cruz, who they defeated here at home last season, before hitting their home court, under the Covered Wagon,  this Saturday night (January 16) at 8:30, when they play host to Bethany University in a Cal Pac match-up.

Angwin, CA – After being down 25-28 at the half, the Pioneers defeated the Red Hawks of Simpson University 62-57 after a fierce, nearly point-for-point competition.

Brandon Monty hit the game high for the Pioneers with 15 points. Monty shot 5-8 from the field, 2-2 from the arc, and 3-6 at the free-throw line. Aren Rennacker and Kenny Penn each scored 13 points. Rennacker was 4-15 from the field, 3-10 from the arc, and 2-4 at the free-throw line. Penn shot 6-9 from the field and 1-2 at the line. He also totaled 14 rebounds (3 offensive, and 11 defensive).

Justin Sparks’ 20 points earned him the game high for the Red Hawks. Sparks shot 8-15 from the field, was 1-2 in threes, and 3-6 at the line. He also tallied 13 rebounds (3 offensive, and 10 defensive). Jason Stubbs scored 18 points, shooting 8-18 from the field, 1-6 in threes, and 1-3 from the line.

The Pioneers season record now reads 2-7 overall, and 1-0 in the Cal Pac. The Red Hawks are now 4-13 overall, and 0-1 in the conference. The Pioneers next play on the road against William Jessup University on January 9.

On December 17 the Pioneers competed against the pre-season undefeated (10-0) #5 Eagles of Biola University, a NAIA Division I team in the Golden State Athletic Conference. Although the Pioneers trailed 30-39 at the half, and would eventually fall 63-94.

Brandon Monty and Aren Rennacker shared the game high for the Pioneers with 17 points apiece. Monty shot 6-15 from the field, was 1-2 from the arc, and shot a flawless 4-4 from the free throw line. Rennacker was 5-11 in the field, 3-8 from the arc, and shot a nearly perfect 4-5 in free throws. Monty and Rennacker were not the only two players who shot well from the line. As a team, the Pioneers were 22-29.  Kameron Barnes also earned the title of perfect in this respect, shooting 6-6 from the free throw line. Kenny Penn led the Pioneers in rebounds with 7 (2 offensive and 5 defensive).

The Pioneers next played on December 19 against the Hawks of San Diego Christian College, also a NAIA Division I team in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The half time score was very similar to that of the Biola game: 31-39. Although the Hawks were on a seven-game losing streak, they managed to soundly defeat the Pioneers 88-70.

Kameron Barnes arguably played one of the best scoring games of his life, totaling an incredible 31 points. He shot 13-18 from the field. Barnes also led the Pioneers in rebounds with 4 (1 offensive and 3 defensive), as well as 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 steals.

Aren Rennacker and Andrew Webster were also significant contributors to the Pioneers’ score.  Rennacker scored 16 points (5-9 from the field, 4-5 from the arc, and 2-3 from the free throw line), and Webster totaled 14 points (5-11 from the field and 4-9 from the arc). In addition to these three players, only two others scored during the game: William Bell scored 6 and Sterling Thompson scored 3. The Pioneers played without leading scorer Brandon Monty sustained an injury in the loss to Biola and played the entire second half without post player Kenny Penn who was ineffective due to a knee injury sustained in the same game.

After dropping their final two pre-season matches of the season, the Pioneers hope for better success as they begin conference play under the Covered Wagon, on January 7, when they will host Simpson University, at 7pm.

Angwin, CA – The Pioneers played under the Covered Wagon for the second time this season on December 13 when they hosted Clarke College, a NAIA Division II team from Iowa. Although the Pioneers were only down by two at the half (trailing 39-41), the Pioneers could not put a stop the Crusaders scoring and lost the game 88-79.

Kenny Penn scored the game high for the Pioneers with 20 points. Penn shot 7-14 from the field, and 6-7 at the line. He additionally totaled 16 rebounds (12 offensive, and 4 defensive), as well as 5 assists, and 1 block. Fellow post-player Kameron Barnes scored 18 points, shooting 7-16 from the field and 4-5 at the line. Brandon Monty was not far behind these two; he scored 17 points, shooting 7-14 from the field, 1-2 in from the arc, and 2-4 from the free throw line.

Justin Heng hit the game high for the Crusaders with 23 points. Heng shot 9-15 from the field, and 5-8 from the arc. Eli Fitzsimons was also a vital contributor to the Crusaders offense, scoring 19 points. Fitzsimons shot 5-9 from the field, was 1-5 from the arc, and scored a perfect 8-8 at the free throw line. Both players could not have been successful without the offensive coordination of Travis Ferrell who tallied 6 assists for the afternoon.

The Pioneers next play on the road down in Southern California, taking on #5 Biola University and San Diego Christian College, two NAIA Division I teams and members of the Golden State Athletic Conference, during the first week of Christmas break.

Chico, CA – On December 10, the Pioneers traveled to Chico to take on the NCAA Division II Wildcats of Chico State University. The Pioneers trailed 31-43 at the half to end the game 68-84.

Brandon Monty scored the game high for the Pioneers with 19 points. Monty shot 7-16 from the field, and was 5-6 at the line while totaling 5 assists. Aren Rennacker scored 16 points, shooting 5-8 from the field, 4-6 in threes, and 2-4 from the line. Kameron Barnes retrieved 7 total rebounds (1 offensive and 6 defensive).

The Pioneers record falls to 1-4 on the season.  The Pioneers will next play at home on December 13 when they will host Clarke College.

Angwin, CA – The Pioneers proved victorious against the Eagles of Northwest University in their season home opener. The game was close from start to finish with the Pioneers leading 34-30 at the half, and ending the game 70-68.

Newcomer Kenny Penn proved to be tonight’s leading scorer with 22 points. Penn was 9 for 13 in field goals, and 4 for 6 from the line. He also retrieved 10 rebounds (4 offensive, and 6 defensive). Senior Kameron Barnes scored 17 points in the game; shooting 7-13 in field goals, and 3-4 from the arc. Barnes totaled 7 assists, and put up 2 massive block, bring the fans out of their seats. Senior Brandon Monty scored 16 points, turning his game on in the second half to secure precious points for the Pioneers. Monty was 6-15 in field goals, and 4-5 from the free-throw line. Monty had six rebounds (3 offensive, and 3 defensive), and totaled four assists.

For the Eagles, Greg George scored the game high of 26 points, shooting 11-17 from the field, and 4-6 from the line. Additionally, George tallied 10 rebounds (5 offensive, and 5 defensive), and 3 blocks. Tyson Christie scored 14 points for the Eagles, shooting 6-14 from the field, and 2-4 from the line. Greg Peters hit the game high in rebounds with 15 total (8 offensive, and 7 defensive).

With the victory the Pioneers open the season at 1-0. This is the first loss on the young season for the Eagles who are now 2-1 on the year. The Pioneers will travel to Belmont, next Monday, to face Notre Dame de Namur University.

Angwin, CA - The Pioneers played the Penguins of Dominican University last Saturday evening, December 20. Although they were only down by seven at the half (20-27), the Pioneers fell further behind in the second half, and lost the game 44-62.

Kameron Barnes once again scored the game high of the evening, although he only scored 12 points. Barnes was 5-12 in field goals made, 1-3 in threes, and 1-3 at the line. Barnes also retrieved the most rebounds for the Pioneers, totaling 9 defensive rebounds. Andrew Webster scored 11 points for the game; he was 4-9 in field goals made, and 3-7 in threes. Josh Jewett scored 7 points; the 6'6" forward was 3-4 in field goals made, and 1-2 in threes.

As a team, the Pioneers were 17-45 in field goals made, 6-20 in threes, and 4-9 from the line. Additionally they finished with 26 defensive rebounds, 4 assists (half of which came from Steven Catalon), 5 blocks (Kameron Barnes and Tade Adeogun each had 2, and Josh Jewett had 1), and only 2 steals (Barnes and Catalon each had 1).

Comparatively, the Penguins were 24-59 in field goals made, 8-17 in threes, and 6-12 from the line. They also racked up 8 offensive rebounds, 30 defensive rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, and 5 steals.

As a result, the Penguins' season record now reads 6-5 overall, and 3-0 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers are now 1-8, and 0-3 in the Conference. They next play William Jessup University on the road on January 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Vallejo, CA - Although, once again, they were tied at the half at 27, the Pioneers did not have what it took to finish out on top against CSU Maritime on Thursday, December 18, and lost the game 51-61.

Kameron Barnes once again claimed the game high with 18 points. Barnes was 7-14 in field goals made, 1-4 in threes, and 3-4 at from the line. Additionally, Barnes had the most rebounds of the team, totaling 7 defensive rebounds, and had 5 assists, again, the most of anyone on the team. Tade Adeogun scored 8 points; he was 4-8 in field goals made, had 2 assists, and 3 defensive rebounds. Andrew Webster came off the bench on fire, scoring 7 points; he was 2-3 in field goals made, and 1-1 in threes. Josh Jewett also came off the bench ready to score; he totaled 6 points and was 3-3 in field goals. Additionally, Jewett had 3 offensive rebounds, and 1 defensive. Eric Tua also scored 6 points; he went 2-4 in field goals, and 2-3 in threes. Brandon Monty sat out with an ankle injury suffered after their victory over Whittier College.

On the whole, the Pioneers were 21-53 in field goals made, 5-14 in threes , 4-8 at the line, totaled 8 offensive rebounds, 18 defensive rebounds, 15 assists, 1 block (courtesy of Kameron Barnes), and 7 steals.

Comparatively, the victorious Keelhaulers were 20-49 in field goals made, 10-27 in threes, 11-16 at the line, tallied 10 offensive rebounds, 23 defensive rebounds, 16 assists, 23 turnovers, 1 block, and 11 steals.

Overall, the Keelhaulers season record now states 6-5, and 1-1 in the Conference. The Pioneers overall season record now reads 1-7, and 0-2 in the conference play. They next play at home against Dominican University on Saturday, December 20.

Angwin, CA - The Pioneers lost to the Bruins of Bethany University by two points on Saturday, December 13. The Pioneers led for a majority of the game and were tied at 37 at the half. However, their lead slipped away in the last few minutes of the game to lose a disappointing game 73-75.

Kameron Barnes played an incredible game all around as well as scoring the game high of 23 points. Barnes was 7-18 in field goals made, 2-3 in threes, and 7-8 at the line. Barnes also had 2 blocks and 2 of the team's 4 total steals. Aren Rennacker lit the hoop on fire, scoring a total 17 points. Rennacker was an astounding 6-7 in field goals made, and even better 5-6 in threes. Tade Adeogun also made a huge impression on the court, scoring a total of 16 points; he was 5-7 in field goals made, and 6-11 at the line. Adeogun additionally had 7 offensive and defensive rebounds (totaling 14), 1 assist, and 1 block.

On the whole, the Pioneers were 24-54 in field goals made, 7-14 in threes, and 18-29 at the line. They also tallied 13 offensive rebounds (Adeogun racking up over half of them), 32 defensive rebounds, 14 assists (5 of which came from Brandon Monty, returning to the game from a ankle injury).

Comparatively, the Bruins were 28-69 in field goals made, 7-27 in threes, and 12-23 at the line. George Golden II, stats leader, scored the game high of 26 points. Additionally, the Bruins had 14 offensive rebounds, 21 defensive, 9 assists, 13 turnovers, 2 blocks (both courtesy of Kenny Thompson), and a total of 11 steals.

Although it seemed that the Pioneers had this game in the bag, at one point leading by 10 points, the Bruins had what it took to finish it off and win the game. As a result, their season record now reads 4-6 overall, and 1-1 in the conference. The Pioneers are now 1-6 overall, and 0-1 in the conference. They next play on Thursday, December 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the home of CSU Maritime.

Chico, CA - The Pioneers played Chico State University, a NCAA Division II team, on Thursday, December 11, and lost 34-87. In this purely educational game, the entire roster had the opportunity to see the floor, except for injured starter Brandon Monty who sat out his second game in a row.

Kameron Barnes once again held the game high of 11 points. When Barnes did have the opportunity to score against the Wild Cats seemingly impenetrable defense, he did so. Barnes was 4-6 in field goals made, and 3-4 at the line. Impressively, freshman JP Tan was 1-1 in field goals made, and 1-1 in threes in the two minutes that he played!

On the whole, the Pioneers were 12-39 in field goals made, 2-6 in threes, and 8-14 at the line. Additionally, they had 7 offensive rebounds, 17 defensive (7 of which came from Rennacker), 5 assists (2 from Tade Adeogun, 2 from Rennacker, and 1 from Andrew Webster), 1 block (courtesy of Adeogun), and 4 steals (by Adeogun, Rennacker, Eric Tua, and Ryan Vos).

The Pioneers will host Bethany University on Saturday night in their first conference game of the season.

Angwin, CA -- The Pioneers were victorious for the second time this season on Friday, December 5. Unfortunately the win does not count toward their overall season record as the game was merely an exhibition. Such being the case, the entire bench had the opportunity to contribute to the game. The Pioneers led at the half 36-31 and finished the game 60-57.

Kameron Barnes again was the leading scorer for the Pioneers with 15 points, although Aren Rennacker was close behind him with 14. Barnes was 6-11 in field goals made, and Rennacker was 6-16, and 2-7 for threes. As a team, the Pioneers were 7-13 in free throws, had 12 offensive rebounds, 28 defensive rebounds, 18 turnovers, and 9 assists. Brandon Monty sat the game out with an ankle injury.

Jules Clark scored a game high of 20 points for ASU. His teammate, JJ Ward was right behind him with 18. Clark was 5-12 in field goals made and 3-7 in threes; Ward was 8-16 in field goals. Collectively, the team was 10-20 at the line, had 17 offensive rebounds, 23 defensive rebounds, 11 turnovers, and 7 assists.

The Pioneers next play on the road at Chico State University on December 11 at 7:00 p.m. Their next home game will follow on the 13^th against Bethany University at 7:30.

Whittier, CA - The Pioneers won their first game of the season against Whittier College on Sunday, November 23. At the half, the Pioneers trailed Whittier 28-37, but finished out strong to win the game 75-71.

Kameron Barnes was again the leading scorer for the Pioneers with a total of 21 points. Barnes was an incredible 5-5 in field goals made, and 11-12 at the line. He had 3 offensive and 7 defensive rebounds, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, and 1 block.

However, it was absolutely a team win. Together, the Pioneers were 24-53 in field goals made, 6-10 in threes, 21-33 at the line, 9 offensive and 28 defensive rebounds, 8 assists, 6 blocks, and 6 steals.

The Pioneers' overall season record now reads 1-4. They next play at home against the American Sports University this Friday, December 5, in an exhibition game at 2 p.m.

Fullerton, CA - The Pioneers suffered a demoralizing defeat last Saturday night, November 22, at the hands of the Royals of Hope International University. At the half, the Pioneers were down a devastating 16-40. Although they were able to kick it up a notch in the second half, the Pioneers lost 44-64.

It was Kameron Barnes who scored a game-high of 15 points for the Pioneers. Barnes was 7-14 in field goals made, and 1-4 at the line. Additionally, he had 5 rebounds, 3 assists 1 turnover and 1 steal.

On the whole the Pioneers were 20-52 in field goals made, 2-11 for threes, 2-8 at the line, with 6 offensive rebounds, 17 defensive rebounds, 9 assists, a total of 14 turnovers 2 blocks (courtesy of Steven Catalon and Tade Adeogun).

The Royals are now 1-2 for their overall season. With their fourth consecutive loss, the Pioneers overall season record now reads 0-4.

 Vallejo, CA – The Pioneers defeated CSU Maritime on Wednesday, November 5, by a score of 4-1. A grand total of 3 goals were scored by Bucky Voigt and 1 was scored by Edrei Mauries. Isaac Anjejo had 1 assist, as did Kevin Nishino. Goalie Steven Brooks had 3 saves for the game. The match was abandoned in the 37^th minute after the two teams were involved in an altercation that led the Pioneers to refuse to take the field. The final outcome is yet to be determined by the commissioner after the officials report is submitted.

CSU Maritime ended their season 0-14 overall and 0-10 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers finished off their season 4-9-1 overall and 3-9-1 in the Cal Pac.

Cascade College is now 5-0 on the young season. The Pioneers are now 0-3 in search of their first victory. The Pioneers next travel to southern California to play Hope International University on November 22, and Whittier College on the 23^rd.

Brandon Monty once again led the offense for the Pioneers scoring the game-high of 23 points. Monty was 9-21 in field goals made, 1-3 in 3-point shots, was 4-6 at the line, and had 4 assists. Sophomore Aren Rennacker scored 18 points; he was 6-12 in field goals, 4-8 for 3’s, and 2-2 in free throws.

Defensively, Rennacker had 2 of the team’s 6 steals, Kameron Barnes had 6 of the team’s 20 defensive rebounds, and Josh Jewett put up the team’s only block.

For Cascade, Ben Pawlak scored 27 points; he was 7-14 in field goals made, 6-9 in 3-point shots, and 7-7 on the line. Defensively, Ryan Barker had 8 of the team’s 26 defensive rebounds, Kao Saelee took 6 of the team’s 17 steals, and the team had 3 blocks.

Portland, OR – It was a close game Saturday night, November 15, up in Oregon as the Pioneers played hard against the Thunderbirds of Cascade College. The Pioneers trailed 39-43 at the half and lost the game 80-93.

Angwin, CA – On Sunday, November 9, the Pioneers hosted the pre-season number one ranked team in the NAIA (Div.II), the Hustling Owls of Oregon Institute of Technology. As fans witnessed Sunday, the Pioneers came out strong, and managed to reel the Owls back on the scoreboard on several occasions. However, the score was 37-58 at the half, and ended 93-77 in favor of OIT.

It was once again versatile forward Brandon Monty led the Pioneers’ offense scoring 29 points. Monty was 12-24 in field goals made, 1-3 in 3-point shots, 4-7 on the line, and had 2 of the team’s 5 assists.

Sophomore guard, Aren Rennacker also made his presence known Sunday afternoon. Rennacker scored 23 points; he was 8-19 in field goals, 5-10 in 3-point shots, and was 2-2 on the line.

The Pioneers were 29-65 in field goals made, 7-14 in 3-point shots, 12-18 in free throws, had 25 rebounds, 16 personal fouls, 5 assists, 17 turnovers, 1 block (courtesy of sophomore Josh Jewett), and 6 steals.

In comparison, the Owls were 38-66 in field goals, 4-19 in 3-point shots, 13-21 on the line, had 47 rebounds, 19 personal fouls, 11 assists, 22 turnovers, 3 blocks, and 6 steals.

The Owls’ offense was controlled by post player Christian Cavanaugh, who scored 26 points, guard Justin Parnell, who scored 25 points, and Joshua Wetzler, also in the post, who scored 15 points.

The Owls are now 3-0 overall, and the Pioneers 0-2. The Pioneers hit the road for the rest of November. They next travel to Portland, Oregon to play Portland Bible College on Thursday in an exhibition game, and Cascade College on Saturday night.

Angwin, CA – A raucous packed house came out to support their Pioneers, but left disappointed after PUC lost to the Raiders of Southern Oregon University in their season opener, 76-60. The two teams nearly traded point for point in the first half, with the Raiders taking a 28-34 into the half.  But after Tade Adeogun, the Pioneers senior post player, went down with an ankle injury in the latter part of the first half, the Pioneers lost a presence inside.  The Pioneers tied the score and took a slim lead early in the second half, but could not hold off the Raiders, who scored a handful of easy baskets in transition to pull away for the win.

The Pioneers played an intense game from the start, before faltering in the final ten minutes of the game. Junior guard Brandon Monty led the Pioneers throughout the game. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Monty was 7of 12 from the field, and 7 of 9 from the free throw line. Kameron Barnes added a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with two blocks.

The Raiders accelerated through the game, using their transition offense to get high percentage baskets. Eli Thornton led the way for the Raiders with 19 points, seven rebounds, six steals, and three assists. Humphrey Jackson added 13 points, two assists, and one steal.

The status of Adeogun unknown at this time, he is listed as day-to-day. The Pioneers post player will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Adeogun sat out last season due to health related issues.

This puts the Raiders overall record at 1-0 and the Pioneers at 0-1. The Pioneers next game is this Sunday, November 9, at 4 p.m. when they host Oregon Institute of Technology, the defending NAIA Division II national champions and pre-season number one team in the nation. The men’s game will be followed by the women’s game set to tip-off at 6pm.

The Pioneers men’s basketball team is back in action this season with 9 returning vets and 6 new players. The Pioneers ended the 2007-2008 season 1-24 overall, and 1-15 in the California Pacific Conference (defeating Bethany University 83-74 last February). However, this unimpressive record has only lit a fire beneath the amped players and their coach, Robert Castillo, as they head into a brand new season.

Three-year veteran forward Brandon Monty spoke of this fire in saying, “After such a disappointing season last year, our team is hungry to win, and ready to come out and play harder than ever.”

Sophomore guard Manny Gonzales is more than ready for a new season and prefers to leave last season in the past while trusting in the solid core of the new team. “Going into this season we are the only ones who can beat ourselves,” he said in reference to the mental game involved with the sport. Gonzales attributes their potential success to the diversity on the team not only of rookies versus veterans, but in the players themselves and their stacked capabilities in filling positions.

“I believe that this team is better than last years,” junior forward Kameron Barnes said in response to how he thought the team might be better or different than last season’s. “I also believe that the season will be different based on how much better some of the returning players have become, the new young players that we obtained, and the chemistry that the team has exuded thus far.”

Monty agreed with his teammate in saying, “As a returning player I would have to say that our team looks a lot stronger than last year. Even though we have not played a single game yet, I can say this with confidence as there are numerous factors that point to a more successful season.”

“Our goal this season is to play to our full potential. Time will tell whether or not that results in more wins, but I can say we are not suiting up and hitting the court even thinking about losing. This team is determined and working hard to improve on last year’s disappointing season. The team’s chemistry and attitude is much improved this year, and we hope that shows in our play on the floor”, added second year coach Robert Castillo.

Promising newcomer Steven Catalon, a sophomore first year player, from Loma Linda Academy, thinks that the team has potential this season to win some games. “I’m really just looking forward to getting out on the court and playing some games.” He said, “I can’t wait to get out there and hear the crowd. I love the pressure and the competition.”

That being said, Pioneers fans, make sure you come out and support the men’s basketball team in their non-conference season opener this Thursday, November 6, at 7:00pm when they will host Southern Oregon University.

With new focus, keen determination, and a hunger to win, we look for an exciting season for the men’s basketball team as they look to improve their program this year.