PORTLAND, Ore., The CSUB Roadrunners spotted Portland State a 10-point lead to start Saturday afternoon's matchup and were unable to ever take the lead in a 65-59 loss to the Vikings at the Stott Center.

The Roadrunners trailed by as many as 15 in the first half after converting just seven-of-28 shot in the half while making just 5-of-17 from three-point range. Bakersfield however did close the final five minutes of the half on a 12-4 run to trail by 29-24 at the break.

Portland State allowed CSUB to score just two first-half points in the paint and held team-leading scorer Aly Ahmed (Jr., Alexandria, Egypt, Midland CC) to just two points on 1-of-3 shooting. Portland State/s Colin Spickermann made it difficult for the 'Runners all game in the post, blocking three first half shots and three additional shots in the second half.

The Roadrunners started slow once again in the second half, allowing the Vikings to start an 8-2 run to once again build a double-digit lead. The Roadrunners would then steadily chip away at the Portland State lead all half getting within five on a few occasions before making one final push. Bakersfield managed to also get their inside game going where Ahmed scored 16 second-half points while converting 4-of-7 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Trailing by 10 points with less than two minutes to play the Roadrunners made one final push that started with a pair of Ahmed free throws, followed by a steal from Dashawn Richmond (Jr., Staten Island, N.Y., Broward CC) and layup from Cortez Conners (Jr., St, Louis, Mo., St. Louis CC). The 'Runners then forced a Portland State turnover on the next possession and cut the lead to four points with 1:25 to play following a free-throw from Javonte Maynor (R-Sr., Atlanta, Ga., Georgia State). Maynor however was whistled for a four on the inbound play for Portland State which allowed the Vikings to extend the lead on another pair of free throws.

CSUB cut the lead to four points on three more occasions inside the final minute of play but each time they fouled the Vikings they converted from the free throw line to hold off Bakersfield 65-59.

Along with Ahmed's 18 points, Conners scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 3-of-5 from three-point range. Conners hit a pair of back-to-back three-pointers in the first half which sparked the late CSUB run before the end of the period.

The Roadrunners shot a season-high 31 attempts from three-point range converting nine of them for a 29% clip.

Portland State had four players in double digits led by Braxton Tucker's 18 points on 7-of-19 from the field. Dashaun Wiggins and Tiegbe Bamba each added 13 for the Vikings who snapped a three-game losing streak while sending CSUB to their fourth-straight loss.

The 'Runners return to the floor Thursday through Saturday next week as they participate in the World Vision Classic hosted by Utah State. The Roadrunners will open the tournament by playing the host Thursday night at 8 P.M. (MT). They will also face South Dakota State and Idaho State during the tournament in Logan, UT.