LOS ANGELES -- After two highly-competitive games against NCAA Division I opponents, Cal State LA's men's basketball team will open its 2022-23 regular season at home on Friday afternoon against Biola.

The Golden Eagles will kick things off in the CCAA/PacWest Challenge against the Eagles at 3 p.m. Cal State LA will also face Concordia on Saturday at 5 p.m. in University Gym to conclude the season-opening tourney.

In fact, the Golden Eagles will be playing their first seven games inside of University Gym against a series of tough opposition. In addition to Biola and Concordia, the Golden Eagles will also host Azusa Pacific (Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.), Northwest Nazarene (Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.), Central Washington (Saturday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m.) and Fresno Pacific (Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.) before opening conference play at home against Cal State San Marcos (Saturday, Nov. 26 at 3 p.m.).

Cal State LA is coming off hard-fought exhibition games at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San Jose State. The Golden Eagles trailed by just six points in the final minute of a 72-60 loss to the Mustangs and then held a halftime lead and battled to the final seconds of a 69-66 loss at San Jose State. In that game, sharp-shooting Alexander Sokol led the way with 23 points and five assists and sophomore Shane Bell had 15 points and three assists.

The Golden Eagles were limited to just seven players in that contest.

Cal State LA was picked to finish ninth in the CCAA after a frustrating 2021-22 season that was spoiled by injuries and illness. The Golden Eagles were short-handed nearly the entire season and down to just a handful of players by season's end. Cal State LA is hoping for better fortune in 2022-23.

The Golden Eagles are encouraged by a core of talented returning players, including Sokol, who earned All-CCAA honorable mention last season and Adrease Jackson, who was third on the team in scoring and led the squad in rebounding. Cal State LA also has four talented freshmen returning - Dominic Escobar, Bell, Kyjuan Cannady and Jaden Lazo - all of whom showed tremendous talent last season in their first year competing for the Golden Eagles.

Cal State LA also believes it has greatly improved its roster with six talented newcomers, including transfers Payton Moore (Denver), Deuce Walker (Riverside CC), Kaden Rasheed (UC San Diego), Jared Pearre (Rogers State), Cyrus Johnson (Sam Houston State) and freshman Kris Krause (Bishop Montgomery HS).