BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The “S” might stand for Stephon, but put a cape on him and Roadrunner fans would swear it stands for something different.

Sophomore guard Stephon Carter (Garces HS) played the hero's role yet again for CSUB, nailing a pull up three as the final horn sounded to lift the Roadrunners to a 70–69 win over visiting Cal State Northridge Saturday night in Rabobank Arena.

Carter's three capped another entertaining chapter in the long–running saga between the two schools that dates back nearly 40 years. CSUB (7–5 overall) takes a 22–21 lead in the series with the win.

Northridge had a chance to ice the game from the line in the waning seconds. But Matador leading scorer Lenny Daniel, a 49 percent free throw shooter entering the night, missed three consecutive free throws in the final 19 seconds to leave the door open for CSUB. He missed both ends of a two–shot opportunity with nine seconds remaining, when Carter grabbed the rebound, raced across half court and called timeout with three seconds left.

Carter came off a screen to take the inbounds pass from Donavan Bragg (Inglewood/Serra HS) and drove to the middle of the court against physical pressure from Dathan Lyles. Using every inch of his four–inch height advantage, Carter rose above Lyles, released his shot and heard the horn sound just as the ball dipped into the cylinder.

The wild finish befitted a game in which neither team was able to gain much of a foothold. Northridge twice led by five points in the first half before a late run gave CSUB a five–point lead, 37–32, at the break. The Roadrunners extended their lead to seven points once in the second half, but otherwise it was anybody's game.

CSUB held its final two–possession lead at 64–58 with 6:23 remaining. Northridge chipped away, eventually regaining the lead at 65–64 on a Rashaun McLemore layup with 3:06 to play.

It became a free throw battle from there, with CSUB making 3–of–4 but Northridge going just 1–of–4 in the final two minutes, setting the stage for the dramatic finale.

Carter finished the game right on his season average with 18 points. Junior forward Rashad Savage (Philadelphia/Odessa JC) reached double figures in rebounding for the eighth time in 12 games this season, finishing with 13. He had 10 boards in the first half but picked up his third and fourth fouls early in the second half and played just nine minutes in the period.

McLemore led all scorers with 20 points for Northridge. Daniel finished with a 15–point, 10–rebound double–double.

CSUB will ride its four–game home winning streak into its final game of the calendar year when it hosts UC Riverside Wednesday in Rabobank Arena.

CSU NORTHRIDGE (3–7)
McLemore, Rashaun 9–14 0–0 20; Daniel, Lenny 5–8 5–13 15; Lizarraga, Michael 3–6 1–1 7; Cody, Raymond 2–9 2–2 7; Lyles, Dathan 1–8 2–2 5; Eteuati, Frankie 2–5 0–0 4; Jacobs, Thomas 1–1 1–2 3; Jiles, Allen 1–3 0–0 2; Mitchell, Jordan 0–0 2–2 2; McGhee, Vinnie 1–3 0–0 2; Greene, Josh 1–2 0–0 2; Quinn, Aqeel 0–1 0–0 0. Totals 26–60 13–22 69.

CSU BAKERSFIELD (7–5)
Carter, Stephon 6–14 4–9 18; Johnson, Alex 2–4 6–7 11; Baker, Reynaul 4–11 1–2 9; Savage, Rashad 3–8 3–5 9; Bragg, Donavan 3–11 0–0 6; Brown, Cory 3–3 0–0 6; Jones, Kregg 2–4 0–0 4; Robinson, De'Aundray 2–3 0–2 4; Johnson, Donald 1–6 1–2 3; Kale, Cody 0–0 0–0 0. Totals 26–64 15–27 70.
CSU Northridge................   32   37  –   69
CSU Bakersfield...............   37   33  –   70

3–point goals––CSUN 4–15 (McLemore 2–4; Lyles 1–5; Cody 1–2; McGhee 0–2; Greene 0–1; Quinn 0–1), CSUB 3–11 (Carter 2–2; A. Johnson 1–3; Bragg 0–2; Robinson 0–1; D. Johnson 0–3). Rebounds––CSUN 42 (Daniel 10), CSUB 42 (Savage 13). Assists––CSUN 9 (Lyles 4), CSUB 12 (A. Johnson 4). Total fouls––CSUN 18, CSUB 17. Technical fouls––None. A–1172