BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—For the third consecutive game, CSU Bakersfield (9-3) rallied in the second half to defeat an opponent as the Roadrunners earned a 78-69 victory over Hawai'i Tuesday afternoon.

The Rainbow Wahine (6-5) scored 24 of its first 25 points in the paint.  Hawai'i continued to pound the post, throughout the opening frame shooting 48.7% (19-of-39) from the field to take a 42-37 lead into halftime.  The Rainbow Wahine outrebounded the 'Runners 9-4 on the offensive glass and held a 23-18 advantage on the boards in the first half.

““We were playing smart, we were playing together, and we were playing hard, but they were playing harder, said CSUB head coach Greg McCall. “Those were the two things I emphasized to the team at halftime. They were killing us on the boards and getting too many fast break chances in the first half.”

An 11-5 spurt for CSUB to start second half gave the Roadrunners its first lead since the first minute of the contest, 51-49 five minutes into the closing frame. Trailing by one, 58-57 with just over 10 to play, the Roadrunners used a 13-0 run to take its largest lead of the contest, 70-58, with 6:44 to play. Hawai'i responded with an 11-2 run to cut it to three 72-69 when Briana Harris converted a three-point play at the 1:40 mark.

CSUB called a play for Tyonna Outland (R-Sr., Compton, Calif., Lynwood HS) on the ensuing possession and the Roadrunner All-American responded with a drive to the basket and a layup to put CSU Bakersfield up five with just under a minute to go. The Roadrunners got a stop on the defensive end leading to Alyssa Shannon (Jr., Bakersfield, Calif., Stockdale HS) being fouled. The CSUB point guard made both free throws to increase the lead.

Bakersfield got another stop leading to Outland being fouled with 28 seconds. Outland missed the front end of the 1-n-1, but Ashleigh Karaitliana turned the ball over to the Roadrunners. Shannon was fouled again and she made both attempts for the final nine-point margin of victory.

“We played our hardest in the second half,” McCall said. “We were stopping the first shot, but they were getting second chances. Once we were able to stop that in the second half, we only gave up 27 points in the second half. We were getting what we wanted and they couldn't stop us. I am very happy for our team as we head into the Christmas break.”

Outland led five CSUB players in double figures with 18 points. Shannon was 8-for-8 from the free throw line as she posted a season high 16 points. The 5-2 point guard dished out eight assists, made three steals, grabbed three rebounds, and blocked her first career shot. Batabe Zempare (Jr., Accra, Ghana, Scottsdale Chaparral HS) earned her third consecutive double-double as she scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds. Shaquita Smith (Jr., Buffalo, N.Y., ASA College) scored 12 points with Erika Williams (R-So., Fresno, Calif., Diamond Ranch HS) had 11.

Hawai'i would record 50 of their 69 points in the paint. The Rainbow Wahine outrebounded CSUB 46-39, but turned the ball over 18 times (which the 'Roadrunners scored 12 points). Four players scored in double figures for Hawai'i, led by Destiny King who had 15. Karaitiana tallied a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Morgan Mason scored 12 while Harris ended the day with 10.

The Roadrunners conclude the three-game holiday home stand Dec. 30 when CSUB hosts LIU Brooklyn at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at vallitix.com.

~www.GoRunners.com~