ROADRUNNERS (3-3 overall) at
UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC (2-2 overall)
DECEMBER 3, 2008 ? 7:00 p.m.
SPANOS CENTER ? STOCKTON, CALIF.
KERN NEWSTALK 1410 AM ? NO TELEVISION FOR THIS GAME
DOWLOAD THE COMPLETE VERSION OF THIS RELEASE
TIGER NOTES
UoP will be playing just its 2nd home game of the season...the other was a 66?58 win over UCSD...offense has featured a different leading scorer in all 4 games...Sr. F Bryan LeDuc has UoP's lone 20?point game...he poured in 23 in a win at Nevada...Sr. F Anthony Brown leads the Tigers in scoring at 11.5 ppg...LeDuc adds 11.0 ppg...they are the only players in double figures.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the third regular?season meeting between the 'Runners and the Tigers. . .UoP held on for a 67?58 win at CSUB last season. . .CSUB led (62?60) in the final 3:30 but UoP came back to win 75?67 at the Spanos Center in the 2007 season opener. . .Anthony Brown has averaged 18.5 ppg in 2 meetings with CSUB.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
2008 Pacific 67, @'RUNNERS 58
2007 @ Pacific 75, 'RUNNERS 67
THIS WEEK IN ROADRUNNER HISTORY
The 'Runners held on to beat The Master's College 66?65 on Dec. 5, 1992. It was the closest call CSUB had en route to a perfect 33?0 season.
THE LAST TIME WE MET: CSUB kept the game close, but Pacific kept the 'Runners at bay in the second half to hold on for a 67?58 win in Rabobank Arena on Jan. 5. Terrence Johns (Chicago/Bakersfield College) poured in a game?high 22 points for CSUB, while Steffan Johnson led three Tigers in double figures with 17 points.
A BIT OF HISTORY: The 'Runners opened the NCAA Division I era of CSUB men's basketball at Pacific on Nov. 11, 2006. CSUB led for much of the first half, and as late as 62?60 with less than four minutes remaining in the game, before the Tigers came back to win 75?67.
BABY STREAK ENDS: CSUB saw its three?game winning streak snapped Monday vs. San Diego. The streak matched the longest Division I winning streak the Roadrunners' one?plus season at the NCAA Division I level.
A BETTER THAN 50?50 CHANCE: CSUB shot 51 percent (24?for?47) in last week's win over Sacramento State. The 'Runners have now won 34 consecutive games when shooting 50 percent or better from the field. The last time CSUB made more than half of its field goal attempts and lost, you ask? CSUB hit 56.4 percent (31?for?55) but dropped an 84?79 decision at Chico State on Feb. 18, 2000.
BOMBS AWAY FOR BLAKLEY: Junior forward Trent Blakley (Alta Loma HS) simply caught fire to open Monday's game vs. San Diego. Blakley nailed his first nine attempts from the field?and made all six of his three?point attempts?en route to a career?high 26 points on 10?of?11 shooting. Most significantly, his 6?for?6 three?point shooting marked the first time ever that a 'Runner made as many as six treys in one game without a miss. The previous best was Antonio Griffin's 5?for?5 night at San Francisco State on Feb. 18, 2006.
BLAKLEY CONTINUES TO DOUBLE HIS PLEASURE: Trent Blakley continued his roll of double?figure scoring games when he popped for 26 points vs. San Diego Monday night. Blakley has now scored in double figures in 11 consecutive games and 14 of his last 16 dating back to Jan. 23, 2008.
JOHNS ENJOYING NEW ROLE: Senior shooting guard Terrence Johns is fitting into his new role as sixth man quite nicely. He was averaging just 6.0 points per game as a starter this season but is playing more minutes and averaging 12.7 ppg the last three games while coming off the bench.
DONALD DOES IT AGAIN: Senior forward Donald Lee (L.A. Pierce College) posted one of the greatest halves in CSUB history in the 2008 season finale vs. Cal State Fullerton, exploding for 20 points and 15 rebounds (all in the second half). He nearly matched that feat at Pepperdine Saturday, scoring all of his team?high 15 points while grabbing 11 of his game?high 13 rebounds after halftime to lead CSUB to an epic come?from?behind win.
'RUNNERS vs. DI COMPETITION: Although 2008?09 will be just the second time the Roadrunners take on a full NCAA Division I schedule, Bakersfield already has a bit of history in NCAA Division I play. The 'Runners own an all?time mark of 28?69 in 97 games against 42 different Division I opponents. Note that this mark does not include games against current DI teams that were not DI when they met CSUB.
WE MEET AGAIN: The 'Runners may be relative new kids on the block at the NCAA Division I level, but they possess a wealth of experience against the Division I opponents they will meet this season. CSUB owns an aggregate 152?115 all?time record against this season's opposition. Note that most of those results came when both CSUB and its opposition were competing at the Division II level.
37 YEARS OF CSUB BASKETBALL: The 2008?2009 season will mark the 38th anniversary of Roadrunner men's basketball at CSUB. Since the program's inception in 1971?72, the Roadrunners have posted an impressive all?time record of 740?330 (.692).
WHERE OTHERS HAVE GONE BEFORE: Making the leap from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I play is a big step. It's also a step taken by several Roadrunner rivals over the past few seasons. Bakersfield is the sixth West Region school to make the jump since 1990. The others are: Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State, UC Davis and UC Riverside.
In fact, DII and the California Collegiate Athletic Association have been jumping off points for many of the current DI programs in the West. All nine Big West Conference members are former DII schools and all but UC Irvine were formerly in the CCAA. Other former DII and CCAA schools from the West include Fresno State, Pepperdine, San Diego State and San Jose State.
