SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For the second consecutive season, the CSUB men's basketball team dropped a hard–fought opener against Santa Clara after falling to the Broncos 82–77 Friday night at the Leavey Center.
The game was close throughout, with neither team holding more than a seven–point advantage. The game was in the balance late when Santa Clara went on a 13–4 run — the biggest of the night by either team — to turn a 64–61 CSUB lead into a 74–68 Bronco advantage. The Roadrunners stayed in the hunt and had two chances to make it a one possession game with half a minute remaining before Santa Clara hung on for the win.
Senior guard Donavan Bragg (Inglewood/Serra HS) kicked off his final collegiate season in style, scoring a game–high 21 points. Sophomore guard Stephon Carter (Garces HS) chipped in 13 points and five rebounds while junior guard Alex Johnson (Toronto/Vaughan Road Academy) added 12 points in his first appearance since sitting out last season with a knee injury.
While the 'Runners turned the ball over 21 times, a number they are sure to clean up as their six freshmen gain experience, eight of the nine players who saw at least 10 minutes registered and assist Friday, an encourage stat for a season–opening performance.
CSUB concludes its two–game road trip Sunday with a visit to Sacramento State for a 4:30 p.m. tip. The 'Runners return to Rabobank Arena for their 2010–11 home opener Wednesday against Southern Utah.
SANTA CLARA 82, CSU BAKERSFIELD 77
CSU BAKERSFIELD (0-1)
Bragg, Donavan 4-10 9-11 21; Carter, Stephon 4-6 5-8 13; Johnson, Alex 3-10 5-6 12; Johnson, Donald 2-5 4-4 9; Albright, James 2-3 0-0 5; Savage, Rashad 2-4 1-2 5; Brown, Cory 2-3 0-0 4; Hayes, Robert 1-1 0-0 2; Baker, Reynaul 1-3 0-0 2; Robinson, De'Aundray 1-4 0-0 2; Jones, Kregg 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-50 24-31 77.
SANTA CLARA (1-0)
Foster, Kevin 7-17 1-2 19; Trasolini, Marc 6-9 4-7 17; Roquemore, Evan 3-5 7-10 14; Dowdell, Ben 3-6 7-11 13; Payne, Troy 3-7 3-5 9; Santos, Michael 1-3 2-2 4; Harrison, Niyi 1-5 1-1 3; Cowels, Raymond III 1-2 1-2 3; Smith, Robert 0-2 0-0 0; Clarke, Julian 0-1 0-0 0; Cunningham, Chris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-57 25-39 82.
CSU Bakersfield............... 36 41 - 77
Santa Clara................... 40 42 - 82
3-point goals--CSUB 7-17 (Bragg, Donavan 4-7; Johnson, Donald 1-2; Johnson, Alex 1-5; Albright, James 1-2; Baker, Reynaul 0-1), SCU 6-22 (Foster, Kevin 4-13; Roquemore, Evan 1-3; Trasolini, Marc 1-2; Santos, Michael 0-1; Cowels, Raymond III 0-1; Smith, Robert 0-1; Clarke, Julian 0-1). Fouled out--CSUB-Robinson, De'Aundray; Albright, James; Savage, Rashad; Brown, Cory, SCU-Foster, Kevin. Rebounds--CSUB 31 (Savage, Rashad 6; Robinson, De'Aundray 6), SCU 38 (Trasolini, Marc 10). Assists--CSUB 10 (Johnson, Alex 2; Johnson, Donald 2), SCU 15 (Roquemore, Evan 4). Total fouls--CSUB 31, SCU 23. Technical fouls--None. A-1788
