LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team came up short again in its third bid for win No. 1 in its NCAA Division I era, falling at Loyola Marymount 83–75 at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles.
Abysmal free throw shooting did in the Roadrunners (0–3 overall), who put themselves in position to take an early lead and then to come back several times in the second half, but suffered through their second consecutive poor performance from the line. They opened the game making just two of their first 10 free throws and finished 14-of-33 (42.4 percent) from the stripe.
One player who didn't struggle from the line was senior forward Richard Andrews (Kingston, Jamaica/SE Illinois) who went 6-of-8 as part of a team–high 19–point afternoon. Senior guard Dwuan Rice (Pasadena HS) chipped in 14 points and a game–high eight assists.
But Rice struggled out of the gate, scoring just three first–half points thanks to the defensive efforts of LMU senior guard Brandon Worthy, who added 19 points to a mostly solid defensive effort. Senior center Matthew Knight did most of the damage for the Lions, however, finishing with a 26–point, 16–rebound double–double.
Despite Bakersfield's early struggles, Loyola couldn't find a way to run away with the game. The Roadrunners hit just 36 percent from the floor and 39 percent from the line (5-of-13) in the period, but LMU could build just a 38–29 lead at the interval. Bakersfield's funk grew deeper after the break as it opened the second half going 0-of-8 from the field with three turnovers before righting the ship.
At that point, the deficit had grown to a game–high 16 points at 51–35 with 14:10 remaining. The Roadrunners outplayed LMU for the balance of the game, but couldn't climb to the peak of the mountainous deficit—not that they didn't have chances.
Bakersfield cut the lead to seven points with possession a handful of times down the stretch, but never managed to get closer. Trailing 55–48 with 10 minutes to play, the defense earned a stop and Randall Harding (Oklahoma City/Contra Costa CC) went to the line to shoot a pair. But Harding missed both free throws, quickly followed by a Worthy trey and a Knight three–point play that extended the LMU lead back to 13 points.
The Roadrunners' last chance to make a run came in the final minute. Trailing 78–71 with 1:01 on the clock, Rice was fouled making a tough jumper in the lane. But Rice of all people—he's an 82 percent career free throw shooter—couldn't convert the three–point play that would have made it a two possession game.
The Roadrunners will take time off for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action Dec. 1 at San Francisco State.
CS BAKERSFIELD (0–3 overall): Richard Andrews 6-15 6-8 19; Damarcus Hall 0-3 1-4 1; Carl Damus 1-4 1-5 3; Dwuan Rice 5-14 2-3 14; Zack Grasmick 1-4 0-0 3; Randall Harding 2-4 1-4 6; Trent Blakley 6-12 1-2 15; Brandon Nevens 0-1 1-2 1; Rick Robinson 6-8 1-5 13. TOTALS: 27-65 14-33 75.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY (3–1 overall): Matthew Knight 8-14 10-16 26; Derick Grubb 2-7 0-0 4; Brandon Worthy 6-11 5-8 19; Damian Martin 2-3 4-8 8; Jon Ziri 4-7 3-4 12; Adoyah Miller 1-2 0-0 3; John Montgomery 2-3 2-2 Chris Kane 0-0 0-0 0; Marko Deric 1-1 0-0 2; Max Craig 1-4 0-0 2; Mason Maynard 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 27-52 24-38 83.
HALFTIME: LMU 38–29. 3-PT. FG: CSUB 7-28 (Blakley 2-7, Rice 2-9, Grasmick 1-4, Andrews 1-5, Nevens 0-1); LMU 5-10 (Worthy 2-4, Ziri 1-2, Miller 1-2). ASSISTS: CSUB 15 (Rice 8); LMU 20 (Martin 6). TURNOVERS: CSUB 10, LMU 16. STEALS: CSUB 10 (Andrews, Blakley 3); LMU 4 (Worthy 2). FOULED OUT: Andrews. OFFICIALS: Wood, Orr, Suffren. ATTN: 1,495.
