LOGAN, Utah – Utah State used a 12–0 run midway through the second half to break open a close game and walk away with a 65–49 win over Cal State Bakersfield Saturday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan.
The win was the 43rd consecutive nonconference home win for Utah State (10–3 overall). It is the second longest streak in the nation, trailing only Duke's 49–game run. Bakersfield fell to 4–6 with the loss.
Senior center Carl Damus led the 'Runners with 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Senior guard Dwuan Rice chipped in 11 points, including three three–pointers.
Junior center Stephen DuCharme led all scorers with 13 points for Utah State. Guard Jaycee Carroll added 11 points, but a triumvirate of 'Runner defenders held him 11 below his season average on just 4-of-11 shooting.
The game was a toss up for the first 30 minutes, as solid rebounding by the Roadrunners helped them overcome a poor–shooting first half. The 'Runners out–rebounded Utah State 21–13 in the first half, including a 9–2 edge on the offensive glass, but shot just 28 percent (8-of-29) in the period. The result was a 29–23 Aggie lead at the break.
USU's lead hovered around eight points for the first 10 minutes of the second half before an O.J. Harrison three–pointer ignited the 12–0 run that put the game on ice. Four different players scored in the run. The Aggies also out–rebounded Bakersfield 5–1 during that stretch.
In fact, Demarcus Hall's rebound of a Stephen DuCharme missed free throw was Bakersfield's only board during the decisive run and just its third in the first 13 minutes of the second half. USU outrebounded Bakersfield 16–8 in the period.
The bigger problem for the 'Runners was ball control. After turning the ball over just six times in the first half, Bakersfield committed 13 turnovers in the second half — 11 of them unforced.
Saturday's game was the final NCAA Division I contest of the season for Bakersfield. The 'Runners resume completion of their final season of play in the California Collegiate Athletic Association next week, beginning Friday at Cal State Stanislaus.
CS BAKERSFIELD (4–6): Randall harding 1-5 1-2 3; Richard Andrews 0-3 3-4 3; Carl Damus 5-10 2-3 12; Dwuan Rice 4-12 0-0 11; Zack Grasmick 2-7 0-0 6; Robert Rose 0-0 0-0 0; Brandon Robinson 1-2 0-0 3; Trent Blakley 1-4 0-0 2; Brandon Nevens 1-2 2-2 4; Demarcus Hall 0-3 4-4 4; Rick Robinson 0-0 1-2 1. TOTALS: 15-48 13-17 49.
UTAH STATE (10–3): Chris Session 4-5 2-2 10; Durall Peterson 1-6 0-0 2; Stephen DuCharme 6-7 1-3 13; Kris Clark 4-5 1-1 9; Jaycee Carroll 4-11 2-3 11; Mikel Watson 1-4 0-0 2; Nick Hammer 1-5 3-3 5; Arvydas Vaitiekus 0-0 0-0 0; O.J. Harrison 2-3 0-0 5; Chaz Spicer 2-2 2-3 6; Michael Earl 0-0 2-2 2. TOTALS: 25-48 13-17 65.
HALFTIME: USU 29-23. 3-PT. FG: CSUB 6-22 (Rice 3-8, Grasmick 2-7, B. Robinson 1-2, Andrews 0-1, Blakley 0-1, Hall 0-1, Harding 0-2); USU 2-8 (Harrison 1-1, Carroll 1-3, Peterson 0-4). REBOUNDS: CSUB 29 (Damus 5); USU 29 (Carroll 4). ASSISTS: CSUB 8 (Harding 3); USU 17 (Clark 5). TURNOVERS: CSUB 19, USU 16. BLOCKS: CSUB 7 (Damus 3); USU 2 (DuCharme, Harrison). STEALS: CSUB 7 (3 with 2); USU 4 (4 with 1). TECHNICALS: None. FOULED OUT: Session. OFFICIALS: Reynolds, Chelette, Brown. ATTN: 8,049.
