MALIBU, Calif. – It was 36 years in the making, but the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team earned its first win over an NCAA Division I opponent as a Division I program itself by defeating Pepperdine 82-76 at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu Thursday night.
The win was the Roadrunners' first over an NCAA Division I opponent since December of 1986 when they knocked off Southeast Louisiana 90–83. It was CSUB's 17th win all-time against NCAA Division I competition in men's basketball.
But this win carried special significance for a Roadrunner program in year one of transition to full Division I status. They had dropped several close decisions in five previous losses to Division I teams. Thursday, they discovered the solution to the end game puzzle that had proved so perplexing at the start of the season.
The Roadrunners got major contributions throughout the lineup. A trio of seniors led the way, however, none bigger than forward Richard Andrews, who led all scorers with 21 points. Senior center Carl Damus added 14 points and nine rebounds—five of them offensive—to help the 'Runners control the glass to the tune of a 44–29 rebounding advantage.
Senior guard Dwuan Rice also had a big game, scoring 13 points to go along with a game–high six assists. Of even greater importance was Rice's poise in helping the 'Runners unlock Pepperdine's swarming full court press, a defense the Waves played for most of the game's 40 minutes.
As they have done on several occasions this season, the 'Runners jumped to a big early lead. A Zack Grasmick three-pointer helped spark an 18–6 run that turned an 18–16 deficit into a 34–24 lead for CSUB. It was the biggest lead for either team.
As have CSUB's other Division I opponents this season, Pepperdine responded. The Waves caught the 'Runners at 40-40 on a short jumper by center Gregg Barlow. They eventually forged their biggest lead at 59–53 when Marvin Lea knifed through the lane for two of his 18 points.
But CSUB weathered the storm and took the lead for good at 66–64 on a pair of Andrews free throws with 6:25 remaining. Although they never lead by more than six points the rest of the way, they never allowed Pepperdine a possession with a chance to take the lead.
The 'Runners return to CCAA action at Cal State L.A. Dec. 21. They close the Division I portion of their schedule at Utah State Dec. 30.
CS BAKERSFIELD (3–5): Richard Andrews 7-11 6-8 21, Carl Damus 6-7 2-5 14, Dwuan Rice 5-12 0-0 13, Randall Harding 1-6 3-4 5; Zack Grasmick 4-9 1-2 13, Brandon Robinson 0-3 0-0 0, Trent Blakley 1-8 2-2 5, Demarcus Hall 5-6 1-2 11, Rick Robinson 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 29-62 15-23 82.
PEPPERDINE (2–9): Jarrad Henry 0-1 1-4 1, Gregg Barlow 5-8 0-0 10, Marvin Lea 7-16 3-4 18, Chare Griffin 3-9 0-0 9, Tyler Carr 1-3 1-2 3, Blake Wallace 1-4 0-0 2, Tomas Pranciliauskas 2-5 1-1 6, Kingsley Costain 7-12 1-1 19, Willie Galick 3-3 1-2 7. TOTALS: 29-61 8-14 76.
HALFTIME: CSUB 82-76. 3-PT. FG: CSUB 9-24 (Grasmick 4-9, Rice 3-5, Andrews 1-2, Blakley 1-4, Harding 0-1, B. Robinson 0-3); PEP 10-20 (Costain 4-7, Griffin 3-5, Wallace 1-1, Pranciliauskas 1-3, Lea 1-4). REBOUNDS: CSUB 44 (Damus 9); PEP 29 (3 with 5). ASSISTS: CSUB 17 (Rice 6); PEP 8 (Lea 4). TURNOVERS: CSUB 14, PEP 12. BLOCKS: CSUB 5 (Andrews 5); PEP 5 (Barlow 3). STEALS: CSUB 3 (3 with 1); PEP 5 (Lea 2). TECHNICALS: None. FOULED OUT: None. OFFICIALS: De. White, Orr, Espinoza. ATTN: 862.
