BAKERSFIELD, Calif. ? It was 20 years in the making, but it was well worth the wait for fans of the CSUB men's basketball team. The Roadrunners opened a nine?point second?half lead then held on down the stretch to defeat Central Valley rival Fresno State 65?64 Saturday night at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.
Freshman forward Cory Brown recorded his first collegiate double?double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead CSUB (1?2 overall). Junior forward Santwon Latunde led a balanced Roadrunner attack with 11 points.
Kevin Bell led all scorers with 19 points for Fresno State (2?2). Senior center Hector Hernandez chipped in an 11?point, 14?rebound double?double for the Bulldogs.
CSUB, playing its first full NCAA Division I schedule since making the move to Division I status last season, earned its first home win over a Division I opponent since it beat Fresno State 89?81 on Jan. 15, 1977.
The game featured nine ties and 12 lead changes. Worse for Roadrunners fans: Fresno State appeared to take the game by the horns when it opened a 38?30 with a 6?0 run to start the second half. But Bakersfield responded with a run of its own. The 'Runners embarked on a 12?3 voyage over the next 2:50 to retake the lead.
The game went back and forth from that point until a Latunde dunk broke a 48?48 tie and started Bakersfield on its way to building a nine?point lead of at 63?54 with just over eight minutes remaining. Then it was Fresno's turn to rally.
The Bulldog defense clamped down, holding CSUB scoreless for nearly seven minutes. They chipped away at the lead until a pair of Bell free throws tied the game at 63?63. After two more defensive stops, Dwight O'Neil made just one of two free throws, giving Fresno its last lead but leaving the door open for Bakersfield.
The 'Runners came down on their next possession and got the ball inside to Latunde, who made a short jumper to put CSUB back in front, 65?64, and set up a furious final minute.
Fresno had three shots to tie the game in the final 1:06, but couldn't get one to fall. Inbounding the ball the length of the court with 1.9 seconds remaining, Ryan Brown tipped Hernandez' midcourt pass to Zack Grasmick and CSUB held on for the win.
CSUB will get just one day to savor the victory as it prepares to host Weber State Monday night at Rabobank Arena.
CSU Bakersfield 65, Fresno State 64
FSU (2-2) -- BELL 7-12 3-4 19; HERNANDEZ 4-12 2-3 11; HARVEY 3-8 0-0 9; O'NEIL 3-6 1-2 7; MILLER 2-7 1-2 7; BLAIR 3-5 0-0 6; GOLUBOVIC 0-1 3-6 3; TAYLOR 1-1 0-0 2; WEBSTER 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-52 10-17 64.
CSUB (1-2) -- LATUNDE 5-12 3-3 13; JOHNS 3-13 3-3 11; BROWN 4-12 2-2 10; BRAGG 4-6 0-3 9; JOHNSON 3-7 0-0 8; GRASMICK 2-4 0-0 5; BLAKLEY 2-7 0-0 5; BROWN 2-3 0-1 4; ROBINSON 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-64 8-12 65.
Halftime: FSU 32-30. 3-point goals--FSU 8-21 (HARVEY 3-6; BELL 2-3; MILLER 2-6; HERNANDEZ 1-4; GOLUBOVIC 0-1; O'NEIL 0-1), CSUB 7-15 (JOHNSON 2-4; JOHNS 2-2; BLAKLEY 1-5; BRAGG 1-1; GRASMICK 1-2; BROWN 0-1). Fouled out--FSU-None, CSUB-None. Rebounds--FSU 35 (HERNANDEZ 14), CSUB 38 (BROWN, Cory 10). Assists--FSU 13 (BELL 6), CSUB 11 (BROWN 3). Total fouls--FSU 12, CSUB 15. Technical fouls--FSU-None, CSUB-None. A-4115
