November 26, 2005
BOX SCORE
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Keith Brown era began officially and in grand style Saturday night as the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team made a winner of its new coach in his debut with a 114-83 victory over Cal State East Bay at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield.
The 114 points were the sixth-most in Roadrunner history and the most since the team hung 116 on Cal Baptist in January of 1997. Bakersfield also dished a school-record 32 assists, breaking the old mark of 30 against Central Oklahoma in December of 1997.
Florida State transfer Antonio Griffin was a human highlight reel in his Roadrunner debut. He poured in a game-high 25 points-several on acrobat dunks-while completing his first double-double with a game-high 15 rebounds.
Junior guard Randall Harding (Oklahoma City/Contra Costa CC) added 24 points and eight assists. Junior guard Dwuan Rice (Pasadena/LACC) narrowly missed his first collegiate double-double with eight points and a career-high 11 assists.
East Bay stayed close through the first five minutes of the game, but the high-scoring NAIA power from Hayward couldn't keep up against Bakersfield's depth and athleticism. Junior guard Luis Pulido (Oakland/Arizona Western) hit a mid-range jumper to spark a 22-5 run that turned a 13-11 Roadrunner lead into a 37-16 advantage that would not be threatened.
The lead grew to as many as 27 points in the first half and 43 points in the second half. Bakersfield seemed poised to break the school scoring record of 118 points (vs. the University of La Verne in Dec., 1994) when a Tyler Hair (Garces HS) layup with 4:17 to play got the Roadrunners to 110 points, but they would score just four points the rest of the way.
Hair finished with a career-high 12 points. Also scoring in double figures for the Roadrunners were Zack Grasmick (career-high 14 points), Pulido (13 points) and Demetrius Orme (10 points).
Senior guard Jason Garey led East Bay with 16 points. Steven Johnson added 12 points and Richard Castillo added 11 for the Pioneers. All three players came off the bench.
Bakersfield (1-0) returns to action with its California Collegiate Athletic Association opener against UC San Diego Friday in Rabobank Arena. East Bay (2-1) plays at the Lee Fulmer Tournament in Redlands beginning Dec. 1.
California State University, Bakersfield Athletic Department
9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93311-1022
Phone: (661) 654-3071 • FAX: (661) 654-2376
