HAYWARD -- Cal State LA's men's basketball team came out on the wrong end of a California Collegiate Athletic Association nail biter in Pioneer Gym.

In a tight game that saw neither team build a lead larger than six points, the Golden Eagles dropped their first conference decision, 70-69, on Saturday. Cal State LA (5-3, 2-1 CCAA) has lost its three games by a total of six points and one of the losses came on a basket scored after the buzzer. Cal State East Bay (7-1, 3-0 CCAA) remained unbeaten in conference play through three games.

Jihad Woods had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Golden Eagles, while Shacquille Dawkins had 11 points and Anthony Fitzpatrick had 11 points and five rebounds. Fard Muhammad had 10 points and six assists.

The Golden Eagles weren't at their best offensively, hitting 26-of-66 overall (39.4 percent) and only 3-of-24 from 3-point range (12.5 percent). The struggles carried over to the free-throw line, where the Golden Eagles were just 14-of-24 for the game and only 4-of-10 in the second half. Cal State East Bay shot 51.1 percent overall (24-of-47) despite making only 2-of-12 from 3-point range.

Cal State LA was out-rebounded, 38-35, but forced 20 turnovers while committing only 12.

A 3-pointer by Muhammad and a pair of free throws by Woods gave the Golden Eagles an early 11-6 lead, but the Pioneers erased that advantage with a 10-1 run to take a 16-12 lead. A layup by Dawkins gave the Golden Eagles a late 38-36 lead, but a 3-pointer by Juwon Anderson gave the Pioneers a 39-38 halftime lead.

Five straight points by Dawkins gave the Golden Eagles a 47-41 lead early in the second half and a pair of layups by Kenneth Cyprian gave the Golden Eagles a 51-45 edge. Cal State East Bay responded by scoring the next nine points and ultimately took its biggest lead of the game, 66-61, with 6:39 to go.

Woods scored the next four points to make it 66-65 and a layup by Dawkins pulled the Golden Eagles to within 68-67. Another layup by Dawkins made it 70-69 with 38 seconds left and, after a defensive stop by the Golden Eagles and a defensive rebound by Fitzpatrick, the Golden Eagles were unsuccessful on a potential game-winning shot.

Cal State LA will return to action on Friday with a non-conference home game against Bethesda.