ROADRUNNERS (3–4) vs. SAN FRANCISCO (3–3)
DECEMBER 4, 2010 • 7:00 p.m.
RABOBANK ARENA • BAKERSFIELD, CALIF.
ESPN RADIO 1230 AM • BRIGHT HOUSE CH. 26
DON DOINGS
The Dons snapped a two–game skid with an 89–86 win over Holy Names Wednesday night…they also have wins over Colorado and Seattle this season…they'll be looking for their first road win tonight, having losses at San Jose State and Montana State on their resume so far…sophomore guard Michael Williams leads three Dons in double figures at 15.2 ppg…sophomore forward Angelo Caloiaro adds 12.5 ppg…fellow sophomore forward Perris Blackwell chips in 10.7 ppg and a team–high 7.2 rpg.
SERIES HISTORY
• This will be just the second meeting between CSUB and USF in men's basketball.
• USF took the first meeting, 82–73, in San Francisco last Dec. 23.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
2010 at USF 82, 'RUNNERS 73
WHEN LAST WE MET: CSUB led from the opening bucket until the final 27 seconds of the first half. Leading 31–30 at the half, San Francisco pulled away in the second for an 82–73 win on Christmas Eve eve last season (that's Dec. 23 for those of you keeping score at home). The strange game included a combined three technical fouls and a flagrant foul.
CSUB placed three scores in double figures, with Donavan Bragg (Inglewood/Serra HS) scoring 14 points and Donald Johnson (Lancaster/Eastern Arizona) adding 11. Dior Lowhorn led USF with 27 points, including a 17–of–21 effort from the free throw line. Kwame Vaughn added 22 points for the Dons.
20–20–20 VISION: While Donavan Bragg fell six points shy against Northern Arizona in his quest to become the first Division I Roadrunner to score 20 points in three consecutive games, Stephon Carter (Garces HS) did manage his third 20–point game of the season versus the Lumberjacks, finishing with a game–high 24 points. Should Carter score at least 20 against San Francisco Saturday, he and Bragg would become the first CSUB players in the Division I era to post consecutive 20–point efforts in the same season.
BAKERSFIELD .500: CSUB enters Saturday's game versus San Francisco with a 3–4 record. With a win, they would reach 4–4 for the first time at the NCAA Division I level.
THIRTYSOMETHING: When sophomore guard Stephon Carter (Garces HS) hung 32 points on San Jose State on Nov. 24, he sailed into uncharted waters. He became the first player in CSUB's NCAA Division I era to score 30 points in a game. Santwon Latunde held the previous high water mark of 29 against Longwood University (Jan. 9, 2010).
Carter's 32 marked the first 30–point effort by a Roadrunner since Terri Miller scored 34 points against Central Washington on Dec. 28, 2002.
SAVAGE ON THE REBOUND: Junior forward Rashad Savage (Philadelphia/Odessa JC) is already making a splash on the glass. He entered this week's action ranked No. 23 nationally with a 10.5 rebounds per game average.
SAVAGE STREAK SNAPPED: Although he led the team on the boards for the sixth time, Rashad Savage saw his streak of double–figure rebound games end last Saturday night at Cal State Fullerton when he grabbed a (for him) season–low six rebounds. He has led the team in rebounding in all seven games and still carries a healthy 10.3 rpg average into Saturday's game versus San Francisco.
SPEAKING OF REBOUNDING: Although its individual game statistics do not extend back into the 1970's, CSUB's 20 rebounds at Cal State Fullerton were its lowest total on record. The 'Runners twice posted 21–rebound games: At San Diego (Dec. 1, 2008) and at Utah State (Feb. 20, 2009).
BROWN ON THE BLOCKS: Senior big man Cory Brown (Lakeside/El Capitan HS) blocked another shot last Saturday at Cal State Fullerton to bring his career total to 59. He slipped ahead of Russell Jarvis for sole possession of eighth place. On the horizon is Andre Hardwick in seventh place (61), just behind Troy Price and Kebu Stewart (67) in fifth.
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 collected another steal against Northern Arizona, running his streak of consecutive games with a steal to 17 dating back to last season. He owns a team–leading 15 for the season and 65 over his one season plus seven games at the collegiate level. Those steals move him into a tie with Lamara Gayle and Ron Selleaze for No. 25 on the CSUB career list. While 25th 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.
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK: The 'Runners have done a secure job taking care of the basketball. CSUB is averaging a solid 7.5 turnovers per game over its last four contests. It's 11.4 turnovers per game over the first seven games of the season would translate to its lowest rate at the NCAA Division I level. That number ranks 28th in the latest NCAA Division I rankings.
KEEPING IT ON THE DOWN LOW: November 17th's loss to Southern Utah was an aberration given the generally solid CSUB defensive effort. Including their Nov. 20 66–64 win at Pepperdine, the 'Runners have won 17 of their last 28 when holding an opponent under 70. They've won their last nine games when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points.
LIVING IN THE 80's: With a youthful, more athletic team this season, the 'Runners are averaging 73.6 points per game, their highest average so far as an NCAA Division I program. With that should come more 80–point efforts like Nov. 24th's against San Jose State. Those have been a rarity for Div. I CSUB. It was just the sixth time that CSUB scored 80 points in a home game at the Division I level. It was just the second time that Division I CSUB scored 80 points and won and the first since a 98–64 win over Loyola Marymount on Jan. 7, 2008.
AND DYING IN THE 80's: While 80–point offensive games have generally been a good sign for CSUB, 80–point defensive efforts have be harbingers of doom. After Tuesday's 81–77 loss to Northern Arizona, CSUB is 0–32 at the NCAA Division I level when allowing 80 or more points. The 'Runners are on an 0–34 streak overall when allowing 80 or more points. Their last win in such a game was a 90–87 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay on Feb. 25, 2006.
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.
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 51 games—despite having 15 victories over that run.
THE OTHER HALF NOTE: Oddly, the 'Runners won at Sacramento State on Nov. 14 despite not winning either half. That's because the game was tied at both the half and, of course, at the end of regulation.
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.
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 755–374 (.669).
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.
