POCATELLO, Idaho- With their last three losses all by five or fewer points, the Bakersfield Roadrunners found a way to overcome that hurdle Saturday night sinking two key baskets inside the final minute of play while finishing their non-conference schedule with a 61-57 win over Idaho State at Holt Arena.

The win improves Bakersfield to 7-7 this season as they played their final game before entering Western Athletic Conference play for the first time Saturday, Jan. 4 against Utah Valley.

A close second half that included six ties and six lead changes was decided when Stefon Johnson (R-Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio, Gardner-Webb) scored on a short jumper in the lane with 51 seconds to play. Bakersfield then pressured the Bengals on the next possession before Issiah Grayson (R-Sr., Atlanta, Ga., Southern Idaho CC) stole the ball on an Andre Hatchett pass at midcourt. Erik Kinney (So., Fairfield, Calif., Sacramento HS) ended up with the ball and was grabbed from behind and an intentional foul was called on Tomas Sanchez. Kinney sank one of two free throws; then Javonte Maynor (R-Jr., Atlanta, Ga., Georgia State) received in inbound pass at midcourt and managed to evade the Bengals defense and score on a layup with 14 seconds remaining to seal the win.

“There at the end we hit a couple big shots, I thought Javonte hit a couple, Stefon Johnson hit a couple,” said head coach Rod Barnes. “I'm proud of these guys for staying strong and believing in what we do; we played their game, it became a slow-down game but we were disciplined enough and really defended well late and that helped us.”

The Roadrunners sweep the season series with Idaho State having won the previous meeting in Bakersfield 71-69 on Nov. 23. The 'Runners are also 4-1 all-time against the Bengals who fell to 3-6 on the season.

CSUB was led by Maynor's 17 points on 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range. Idaho State's zone defense forced a lot of shots from the perimeter from the 'Runners who converted on 10-of-21 attempts, good for over 47%. Maynor scored 21 against Idaho State in November's matchup.

Brandon Barnes (R-Jr., Atlanta, Ga., Lipscomb) added 13 points on 4-of-12 from the field while Aly Ahmed (So., Alexandria, Egypt, Midland CC) and Grayson added eight points apiece for Bakersfield in the win. Johnson led Bakersfield on the glass with a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Roadrunners concluded the non-conference portion of their schedule with the victory and will open WAC play on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Rabobank Arena hosting Utah Valley. The Wolverines (6-7) defeated Tennessee Tech 75-66 Saturday night.

“I'm just thankful to God not only for the win but for the chance to go home and be in a conference, Barnes said. “It's been a lot of hard work from our administration; it's an emotional thing for me because I came here and believed that we would get in a conference and now we get a chance to compete.”

Tickets for the WAC opener are available online through Ticketmaster, GoRunners.com or the Rabobank Arena box office.