POMONA, Calif. - Down by as many as 14 points in the second half Thursday at Kellogg Gym, the sixth-ranked Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team crawled back to within one of Cal State East Bay in the final minute.

The visiting Pioneers managed to hang on for the victory though, escaping with a 57-54 decision to deal the Broncos their first loss of the 2011-12 season.

The Broncos now stand at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Califonia Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). CSUEB, a year after securing just two conference wins as the league's last-place squad, now hold marks this season of 6-4 overall and 4-2 through conference play.

The Pioneers' attack was fueled by a career night from Jason Smith, who scored 23 points on a 7-for-14 effort from three-point range. On the other side of the court, the Broncos went just 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. Free-throw shooting didn't help the hosts either, with CPP going 13-for-24 in that aspect of the game.

Senior forward Tyquan Brown put together a stellar performance for CPP, notching his first career double-double performance in a Bronco uniform with 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

The Broncos quickly staked a 5-0 lead early in Thursday's game but the Pioneers rattled off a 10-0 run while holding CPP scoreless from the 17:06 to 11:23 marks en route to a 30-20 halftime lead for the visitors.

CSUEB reached its largest lead of the game early in the second half when Jurrell Turner dropped in a layup to give the Pioneers a 38-24 advantage. Only a few minutes later though, an epic run for the Broncos began. Freshman Daniel Rodriguez posted four-straight points early in the 14-2 CPP spurt, which ran between the 14:06 and 5:42 marks.

Towards the end of that run, senior Matt Rosser delivered with a key block when Roshun Wynne tried to put up a three-point attempt in the right corner. One the next CSUEB possession, Terrence Drisdom intercepted a pass while bringing full-court pressure and easily drove the other way for two points.

Despite the Pioneers' lead disappearing quickly, CSUEB showed resilience in holding off the Broncos from taking the lead. Smith delivered his seventh and final three-pointer at the 1:34 mark, turning it from a single-possession game to a 55-50 Pioneers' edge.

CPP trailed 57-54 with 10.8 seconds left in regulation and a pair of three-pointer attempts from Drisdom fell off the mark, as CSUEB escaped with the victory.

Up next for the Broncos will be a 7:30 p.m. Saturday matchup against Cal State Monterey Bay.