BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- The CSUB Roadrunners conclude their four-game home stand Saturday night hosting San Joaquin Valley-rival Fresno State for the first time ever at the Icardo Center.
While the history between these two teams on the basketball floor has mostly been set in Fresno, the Roadrunners will be hosting the Bulldogs for just the fourth time in history and for the first time on campus at the Icardo Center when they tip off Saturday night at 7 P.M. The series between CSUB and Fresno State started in 1975 in Fresno with the first meeting between the two teams in Bakersfield being held at the Civic Auditorium in 1977.
The series took a 30-year break from 1977 to 2007 until Bakersfield transitioned to the NCAA Division I level. CSUB hosted Fresno State in their first NCAA Division I home game which resulted in a 65-64 upset win for the Roadrunners at Rabobank Arena in 2007. Fresno State then won the next four meetings before the series again when quiet for two seasons beginning in 2011.
Bakersfield and Fresno met again last season in a thrilling overtime affair ultimately won by the Bulldogs 96-86 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno. CSUB trailed by 11 with 34 second to play before forcing turnovers and hitting a game-tying three-pointer with seven seconds remaining in regulation.
The Roadrunners are 4-6 all-time against Fresno State including a 2-1 mark in Bakersfield. While not any of the players on CSUB's roster were raised in the Central Valley, the importance of this game isn't lost on the staff or student-athletes.
“We're going to talk to them a whole lot about the situation we're deal with a team that's here in the Valley and how much it means to our program, how much it means to our community to come out and try to win this game,” said CSUB head coach Rod Barnes.
This year's Roadrunners enter on the heels of a pair of losses decided in the final two minutes as they fell 59-58 Tuesday night to UC Riverside. A slate of 'Runners turnovers and missed shots late allowed the Highlanders to convert on extra chances and erase what was an 11-point CSUB halftime lead. It was the third loss this season for CSUB by less than three points.
Coach Barnes says despite the early close losses and setbacks, his team is getting better.
“I like the effort, I like where our guys are but I sure would like to close on one of these games,” Barnes said. “We've got to figure out a way to do it; we've got to figure out a way to get to the free throw line more and we've just got to be a little more aggressive with the basketball.”
Bakersfield is being led by junior center Aly Ahmed (Alexandria, Egypt, Midland CC) offensively as he's averaging a team-high 13 points and team second-best five rebounds per game. Newcomer Kevin Mays (Jr., Queens, N.Y., Odessa CC) is averaging a WAC second-best nine rebounds per game and leads the conference with four double-doubles which are also the 8th-most in the NCAA. Mays scored 11 points and grabbed 11 boards in Tuesday's loss.
While the Roadrunners have had issues with their offense winning games early, it has been their defense that has kept things close. CSUB is third in the WAC allowing just 65ppg through the first seven games this season.
Fresno State (2-6) is coming off their first win this season over an NCAA Division I opponent on Wednesday night as they turned away visiting UC Irvine 72-63. Fresno State used a 12-2 run to close the first half and build a 36-27 lead going into the break. They would push it to 13 with a quick 4-0 run to start the second half and never led by fewer than six points the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs are led by junior guard Marvelle Harris who is leading the team in scoring (15 ppg), rebounding (6 rpg) and assists (26). Harris scored 14 points and had eight rebounds in Wednesday's win.
Tickets for Saturday's game can be purchased in advance at Vallitix.com. A special Cyber Week promotion continues with 50% off all ticket orders by using the promo code “BEATFRESNO” at checkout. The Icardo Center box office is also open from 8 AM-5 P.M. on Friday and will open at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday for fans who wish to beat the anticipated large crowd for the game.
