ROADRUNNERS (6-20 overall) at
UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY (14-10 overall)
FEBRUARY 20, 2009  ?  7:00 p.m. MST
McKAY CENTER  ?  OREM, UTAH
KERN NEWSTALK 1180 AM  ?  NO TELEVISION FOR THIS GAME

  DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE VERSION OF THIS RELEASE

WOLVERINE NOTES
Utah Valley begins a season?ending four?game homestand Friday...UVU is coming off a 52?47 loss at San Jose State Tuesday...Ryan Toolson continues to be one of the nation's top offensive threats, averaging 24.3 ppg...also shoots 94.3 pct. from the line, a marks which would rank No. 1 nationally if UVU were eligible to be ranked...Josh Olsen chips in 10.5 ppg.

SERIES HISTORY
CSUB beat UVU for the first time in three tries on Jan. 31. . .UVU took the two previous meetings, both in 2008. . .UVU led by just three at the half (32?29) but blew the game open to win going away in Orem last season Jordan Brady led UVU with a 19?point, 17?rebound double?double.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
2009    @'RUNNERS 69, UVU 60
2008    @UVU 78, 'RUNNERS 51
2008    UVU 85, @'RUNNERS 74

THIS DATE IN ROADRUNNER HISTORY

Kebu Stewart set Roadrunner records with 19 free throw attempts and 21 rebounds in a 93?72 win over Cal State San Bernardino on Feb. 20, 1997.

WHEN LAST WE MET: CSUB 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. The 'Runners placed four scorers in double figures, led by junior forward Trent Blakley (Alta Loma HS) with 16 points. Junior forward Santwon Latunde (Landover, Md./Cowley County CC)  added his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

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.

GIVE ME ANOTHER A: Wednesday's game at Utah State was CSUB's final game this season against an NCAA Division IA (that's FBS for those fluent in NCAA doublespeak) opponent. Since making the jump to Division I play in 2006?07, CSUB is just 2?19 vs. Division IA opponents. For the record, those wins came against Fresno State (65?64 in Nov. 2007) and San Jose State (61?55 in Jan. 2009).

HOME SWEET HOME: The Jan. 31 win versus Utah Valley was CSUB's fifth home win of the season. That surpasses last season's total of four home wins for the most in the NCAA Division I era of CSUB Athletics.

BUT NOT ROAD SWEET ROAD: While the 'Runners are now 5?6 in Rabobank Arena, they enter tonight's game just 1?14 outside Kern County this season. Counting back to an 80?77 win at Long Beach State on Jan. 23, 2008, CSUB is 1?22 on the road. For the record, that win was a 79?72 victory at Pepperdine on Nov. 29, 2008.

WHY PLAY 40 MINUTES? Forty minutes seems to be a about five minutes more than the 'Runners have needed to decide games since moving to the NCAA Division I level. In 62 games played since making the jump, CSUB is 10?1 when leading after the first 35 minutes. On the flip side, the 'Runners are just 5?46 when trailing with five minutes remaining.

A BETTER THAN 50?50 CHANCE: The 'Runners shot better than 50 percent (22?for?41, 53.7 percent) for the sixth time this season at Oregon State, yet, shockingly, did not win the game. Since February 2000, the 'Runners are now 36?3 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, with all three losses coming this season.
    The 'Runners shot a season?high 54.1 percent (33?for?61) in their loss at UC Davis. It marked the first time in 35 games that the 'Runners lost when shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Prior to that, CSUB hadn't wasted such an effort since shooting 56.4 percent (31?for?55) but dropping an 84?79 decision at Chico State on Feb. 18, 2000.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: Close games have not been friendly to the 'Runners as of late. After earning a two?point, 67?65, win over Big West Conference favorite Cal State Northridge in their home opener, the 'Runners have dropped six of their last seven games decided by four or fewer points.

ON THE BLOCK: Sophomore forward Cory Brown (Lakeside/El Capitan HS) has started to assert himself late in the season, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Thirteen of Brown's team?leading 21 blocked shots have come in the last seven games. That span includes multiple blocks in four of his last six games.

'RUNNERS AMONG THE INDEPENDENT LEADERS: Thanks to his prolific efforts the last two weeks, Cory Brown has moved up to the No. 7 spot among NCAA Division I Independent players in blocked shots. Santwon Latunde began the week as the highest?ranked 'Runner, checking in at No. 4 in rebounding (7.5 rpg). Sophomore guard Alex Johnson (Toronto/Vaughan Road Academy) cracked the top 10 in assists this week by averaging 2.9 apg.

'RUNNERS vs. DI COMPETITION: Although 2008?09 is just the second time the Roadrunners have taken 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 31?86 in 117 games against 45 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 155?132 all?time record against this season's opposition. Note that many 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 743?347 (.682).

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.