ROADRUNNERS (1–2 overall) at PEPPERDINE (1–2 overall)
NOVEMBER 20, 2010  •  7:00 P.M.
FIRESTONE FIELDHOUSE  •  MALIBU, CALIF.
ON THE AIR: ESPN RADIO 1230 AM

PEPPERDINE NOTES
Like CSUB, Pepperdine enters Saturday's game with a 1–2 record…also like CSUB, the Waves are not far removed from a 3–0 or 0–3 start…talented guard Keion Bell leads Pepperdine at 20.7 ppg…Sr. F Mychel Thompson, son of the former NBA star of the same name, follows at 18.7 ppg…Jr. F Taylor Darby tops a balanced rebounding table at 4.3 rpg…the Waves are shooting extremely well from beyond the arc in the early going, checking in at 46 pct. (20–44) through 3 games…they also shoot a healthy 49 pct. from the floor overall.

SERIES HISTORY

• CSUB leads the series 2–1.
• In all 3 games, the road team was victorious.
• CSUB took the last meeting at Firestone Fieldhouse, 79–72 in OT in Nov., 2008.
• Pepperdine won at Rabo-bank Arena, 90–80 in the 2007–08 season.
• The first meeting was a 92–86 win by CSUB at Firestone Fieldhouse in 2007.
• That win was CSUB's 1st against an NCAA Division I opponent as an NCAA Division I school.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
2009  'RUNNERS 79, at Pepp 72 (ot)
2008  Pepp. 90, at 'RUNNERS 80
2007  'RUNNERS 92, at Pepp. 86

WHEN LAST WE MET: The 'Runners and Waves met three consecutive seasons from 2007–09 before taking a one–year hiatus in the series last season. The last game between these foes was an absolute barn–burner, with CSUB erasing a 16–point second–half deficit en route to a 79–72 overtime victory in Firestone Fieldhouse on Nov. 29, 2008. Keion Bell led all scorers with 23 points for Pepperdine. It wasn't enough, however, to offset a balanced effort by the 'Runners, led by Donald Lee's 15–point, 13–rebound double–double.

BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: The Roadrunners are returning to a venue that holds a significant place in Roadrunner history Saturday. Firestone Fieldhouse was the site of CSUB's first NCAA Division I victory. The 'Runners got 21 points from senior Richard “Zeke” Andrews en route to an 82–76 win over Pepperdine on Dec. 14, 2006.

LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT: The CSUB Athletics program successfully completed its five–year transition to active NCAA Division I status in August. All Roadrunner teams are now fully postseason eligible at the Division I level.

FOR (HOME) OPENERS: Wednesday's loss to Southern Utah leaves CSUB a still solid 33–7 (.825) all–time in home openers dating back to its inaugural campaign of 1971–72. FYI, in home openers that were also season–openers, the 'Runners have posted a healthy 20–2 record (.909).

FOR (HOME) OPENERS, PART II: The 'Runners have enjoyed tremendous success in home openers at Rabobank Arena. Since moving to the venue for the 1998–99 season, CSUB is 10–3 in openers there. The 'Runners have won eight of their last 10 home openers in the building.

WORKING OVERTIME: The 'Runners have been solid in overtime during Keith Brown's tenure on the CSUB bench. Nov. 14th's extra period win at Sacramento State brings CSUB's OT record under Brown to 11–6. Despite that record, the win snapped a four–game overtime losing streak.

FOUL PLAY: In his season outlook, Head Coach Keith Brown listed depth as a key component of the 2010–11 'Runner squad. Following a trend that seems to be sweeping college basketball in the early going this season, that depth is being tested thanks to a significant increase in the number of fouls called each game. CSUB has already been whistled for 79 fouls in three games (with seven foul outs). That's an average of nearly 27 fouls per game. To put that in perspective, since making the jump to NCAA Division I play, prior to this season the 'Runners had committed as many as 28 fouls in a game just four times.

It's opponents aren't faring much better with an average of 24 fouls per game.

SAVAGE ON THE BOARDS: As advertised, junior forward Rashad Savage (Philadelphia/Odessa JC) has been a force in the paint early in his Roadrunner career. He needed just three games to notch his first double–double as a Roadrunner, scoring 10 points to go along with his team season–high 15 rebounds against Southern Utah Wednesday.
    Savage narrowly missed his first double–double Sunday in Sacramento, grabbing a then team season–high 13 rebounds to go along with nine points in the 80–78 overtime victory.

BROWN ON THE BLOCKS: Senior big man Cory Brown (Lakeside/El Capitan HS) swatted his first two shots of the season to bring his career total to 55. While still No. 10 on the CSUB career list, he is now just two behind Terri Miller for ninth and three behind Russell Jarvis for eighth.

For the record, Jamal Livingston is the all–time leader, needing just two seasons in blue and gold (1999–00) to collect 107 blocks.

WHAT A STEAL: Stephon Carter (Garces HS) collected three steals Wednesday versus Southern Utah, giving him a team–leading seven for the season and 57 over his one season plus three games at the collegiate level. Those steals tie him with Sedale Threatt and Lawrence Charles for No. 36 on the CSUB career list. While 36th might not sound impressive, if he keeps up his current pace, he will end his sophomore season No. 6 all–time at CSUB with 115 steals.

A TWICE IN A LIFETIME OCCURRENCE: Junior point guard Alex Johnson (Toronto/Vaughan Road Academy) performed a rare—but surprisingly not unique—feat when he sank three free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining to force overtime in CSUB's eventual 80–78 at Sacramento State Sunday. Then junior guard Lovell Brown sank three free throws with eight seconds remaining to force overtime in what would become an 86–83 double overtime win over UC Davis on Feb. 20, 1999. They are the only two occurrences in Roadrunner history of a three–shot free throw opportunity winning a game or forcing OT.

PLAYING DOWNTOWN: The preceding teaser isn't a reference to the 'Runners playing their games downtown in Rabobank Arena, but rather to their proclivity for scoring from long range. Shooting at a 36 percent clip, the 'Runners already have 23 three–point field goals through the first three games. Their 7.7 three–pointer per game average would be their highest ever.

KEEPING IT ON THE DOWN LOW: Wednesday's loss to Southern Utah was an aberration given the generally solid CSUB defensive effort. The 'Runners  had won 16 of their previous 26 when holding an opponent under 70. They've won their last nine games when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points

HE LOOKS SPRY FOR 100: Head Coach Keith Brown picked up his 100th career victory with the 82–79 win at Idaho State on Feb. 15. It was his 59th victory as the head coach at CSUB. Although they don't count on his official record, he also had three wins filling in for then Head Coach Henry Clark.

20–20 VISION: Stephon Carter's consecutive 20–point games last season at Cal State Fullerton (24) and home against Cal Poly (22) were the first consecutive 20–point efforts by a Roadrunner since Terrence Johns poured in 22 and 21 against Pacific and Loyola Marymount on Jan. 5–7, 2008.

A HALF NOTE: The 'Runners put together two halves to make one victory in their Feb. 3, 2010 win over UC Irvine. They led at halftime, 28–21. By then winning the second half, 40–34, the 'Runners won both halves of a game for the first time since defeating Sacramento State on Nov. 27, 2008. It marks the only time they have pulled that off in the last 49 games—despite having 13 victories over that run.

THE OTHER HALF NOTE: Oddly, the 'Runners won at Sacramento State despite not winning either half. That's because the game was tied at both the half and, of course, at the end of regulation.

WE MEET AGAIN: The Roadrunners entered 2010–11 with a 133–122 record all–time versus this season's opponents. Note that many of those games were played while both CSUB and their respective foes were competing at the NCAA Division II level.

39 YEARS OF CSUB BASKETBALL: The 2010–2011 season marks the 40th 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 753–372 (.669).