OMAHA, Neb.—A pair of CSU Bakersfield scoring droughts combined with hot Omaha shooting resulted in an 80-68 victory over the Roadrunners Thursday night.

Omaha (5-4) made 16-of-27 field goal attempts (59.3%) in the first half. Combined with an 11-0 run in which Omaha held the Roadrunners without a basket for nearly four minutes, the Mavericks led by 12, 39-27 at the break. CSUB shot 33.3 (11-of-33) in the first half, missing 10 of its first 15 attempts from the field.

CSU Bakersfield (6-2) held the Mavericks to five points over the first 6+ minutes of the second half to work their back into the game. Brooklynn Hinkens (Sr., Lake Tapps, Wash., Auburn-Riverside HS) scored nine of 11 CSUB points in a sequence to bring the Roadrunners to within four, 46-42 with 14:11 to play. Omaha responded with the next 11 points and did not allow CSUB a field goal for over six minutes (the only four 'Runner points that came during the stretch were from the free throw line) as the Mavericks took a 12-point lead.

Hinkens ended the spurt with a three-pointer with just over 8:14 to go to bring the Mavericks lead back into single digits. Shaquita Smith's (Sr., Buffalo, N.Y., ASA College) three-pointer made it a six-point game (68-62) with 2:47 left. The teams traded turnovers which resulted in a Lanese Baugh layup for the Mavs. Down eight, Hinkens got to the line where she converted both attempts. The Roadrunners fouled Madi Robson who made both to return the lead to eight for Omaha.

Alyssa Shannon (Jr., Bakersfield, Calif., Stockdale HS) and Mikaela Shaw traded layups before the Mavericks got a stop on the defensive end. Shaw hit a pair of free throws for a 76-66 Omaha lead. Felicia Anderson's bucket was followed by a Hinkens' basket. The 'Runners called timeout with 43 seconds to play which led to Brianna Bogard making a pair of free throws. Those would be the final points of the game.

“We had our chances,” said CSU Bakersfield head coach Greg McCall. “We just didn't play with a lot of energy. Our team feeds off of playing with a lot of energy and a lot of effort. Tonight we didn't have either one. We looked like a really bad team tonight. I don't think you will see a performance like that from us again.”

The Mavericks would end the night shooting 58% from the floor (29-of-50). The Roadrunners would be limited to 33.8% (24-of-71) from the field. CSUB forced 22 turnovers and made eight steals. Omaha would record five more rebounds than CSUB (37-32).

Hinkens led all scorers with 19 points. Smith posted a season high 14 points. Tyonna Outland (R-Sr., Compton, Calif., Lynwood HS) surpassed the 1,600 career-point plateau (1,607) with 12. Bogard led the Mavs with 17. Shaw tallied a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds. Taijhe Kelly and Felicia Anderson each had 12 for Omaha.

CSU Bakersfield travels to No. 12/15 Nebraska Saturday for a 2 p.m. (CST) start. The Roadrunners return home Dec. 21 when CSUB hosts UNLV at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at vallitix.com.

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