BAKERSFIELD, Calif. ? The CSUB men's basketball team got strong performances on both ends of the floor in the second half and combined that balance with record-setting ball security to upend visiting Utah Valley University 69?60 in a Saturday matinee at Rabobank Arena.
CSUB (6-15 overall) placed four scorers in double figures, led junior forward Trent Blakley (Alta Loma HS) with 16 points. Fellow junior forward Santwon Latunde (Landover, Md./Cowley County CC) added his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore center Cory Brown (Lakeside/El Capitan HS) chipped in a career-high four blocks.
The most impressive statistic for CSUB, however, was a team one. The Roadrunners turned the ball over a school-record low four times, besting the previous mark of six set versus Cal State Monterey Bay on Feb. 25, 2006.
The defensive tag team of Donavan Bragg (Inglewood/Serra HS) and Bryan Emanuel (Bellflower/Mayfair HS) kept Utah Valley ace Ryan Toolson somewhat in check, limiting him to a game-high 22 points, including just eight in the second half, three below his season average. Toolson lit the scoreboard with a 63-point performance at Chicago State Thursday night.
Although Utah Valley was coming off a four-overtime thriller and a cross country plane flight, the Wolverines were the sharper team early. They out-rebounded the Roadrunners 20-10 through the first 19 minutes of the game. But CSUB took magnificent care of the ball, committing just one turnover in the period to help stay within three at the break, 30-27.
It took the 'Runners four minutes of the second half to catch Utah Valley, and then another three seconds to take the lead for good. Emanuel hit the first of two free throws to tie the game at 34-34. When he missed the second, Brown corralled the rebound and fed a wide-open Alex Johnson (Toronto/Vaughan Road Academy) in the corner for a three-pointer and the lead.
CSUB slowly extended its advantage, taking its first double-digit lead at 61-50 on a Bragg jumper with 5:24 to play. They held at least a three-possession lead for the duration.
CSUB hits the road for its next three games, beginning Thursday with a rematch again Cal State Northridge. CSUB defeated the Matadors in its home opener, 67-65, on Nov. 21.
The road trip will conclude with games at SMU (Feb. 7) and at Stanford (Feb. 10). The 'Runners return home to face fellow NCAA Division I independent member Seattle University Feb. 16.
CSU Bakersfield 69, Utah Valley University 60
UTAH VALLEY (10?9): Petty 1-5 0-0 2; Scoubes 2-10 0-0 5; Ravenberg 0-1 0-0 0; Toolson 7-12 6-6 22; Olsen 6-11 0-0 15; Curtis 0-0 0-0 0; Swarbrick 3-5 0-0 8; Brown 0-0 0-0 0; Jensen 0-1 0-0 0; Fannon 0-2 0-0 0; Baker 4-5 0-0 8. TOTALS: 23-52 6-6 60.
CSU BAKERSFIELD (6?15): Blakley 7-14 1-1 16; Latunde 4-9 3-6 11; C. Brown 3-4 0-0 6; Johnson 4-8 4-5 14; Emanuel 1-3 1-2 3; Bragg 4-7 6-10 15; Johns 2-7 0-0 4; Lara 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS: 25-53 15-24 69.
HALFTIME: UVU 30-27. 3-PT. FG: UVU 8-17 (Olsen 3-4, Swarbrick 2-3, Toolson 2-4, Scoubes 1-4, Petty 0-2); CSUB 4-14 (Johnson 2-4, Bragg 1-1, Blakley 1-5, C. Brown 0-1, Johns 0-1, Emanuel 0-2). REBOUNDS: UVU 34 (Scoubes 7); CSUB 27 (Latunde 10). ASSISTS: UVU 7 (Olsen 3); CSUB 8 (Emanuel 3). TURNOVERS: UVU 15, CSUB 4. BLOCKS: UVU 0; CSUB 4 (C. Brown 4). STEALS: UVU 0; CSUB 5 (Emanuel 2). TECHNICALS: None. FOULED OUT: None. OFFICIALS: Tackett, Schemel, Ruiz. ATTN: 2,314.
