Box Score

CHICO, Calif. — A strong start wasn't enough for Northwest Nazarene on Friday night in California, as the Crusaders simply gave the Pioneers too many chances.

Turnovers and offensive rebounds proved costly as Cal State East Bay hoisted up 21 more shots than the Crusaders, leading to a 71-53 win in the first game of the Carl's Jr. Mac Martin Invitational.

"We held them to only 32-percent shooting, but turnovers and rebounding was where we came up short," NNU head coach Scott Flemming said.

"We will continue to work on our shortcomings and move forward."

NNU (2-2 overall) committed 23 turnovers and was outrebounded 18-4 on the offensive glass, giving the Pioneers (5-1) just too many chances, and they used those extra opportunities to pull away in the second half.

The Crusaders led 16-12 midway through the opening half on a Pol Olivier 3-pointer, and were up 28-27 late in the opening session thanks to a Maurice Jones layup.

A trio of NNU turnovers late helped fuel a 7-0 CSU East Bay run into the locker room, but a Kaileb Rodriguez bucket got the Crusaders started strong in the second half as NNU trailed just 34-30.

The Pioneers tried to inch away, but a Jones 3-pointer got NNU as close as 47-41 down six minutes later before the extra chances for CSU East Bay simply proved too much to overcome.

A NNU turnover led to a Pioneer bucket and a 61-46 lead with 7 ½ minutes to play, an offensive putback in the final three minutes made it 67-51, virtually icing the victory for CSU East Bay.

Jones led the way for NNU with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Bouna N'Diaye scored 14 points and Rodriguez added 10 points for the Crusaders, who close out the tournament playing host Chico State on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (Mountain Time).