PHOENIX, Arizona,- The CSUB Roadrunners will open their second season in the Western Athletic Conference Saturday as they take on Grand Canyon University(9-8) at 7 P.M. (MT) at GCU Arena in Phoenix.
The Roadrunners enter after having their three-game winning streak snapped last Saturday in an 83-70 loss at North Carolina A&T. CSUB had prior victories over Idaho State, Cal and Laverne prior to the loss in Greensboro. The 'Runners lost their last outing without leading scorer Aly Ahmed (Jr., Alexandria, Egypt, Midland CC) who suffered an ankle injury against Laverne that prevented him from making the trip. Ahmed who is averaging a team-high 14 ppg remains a game time decision for Saturday's opener against the Antelopes.
Grand Canyon enters following a 71-69 win over UC Riverside. The 'Lopes enter having won three of their last four as well including a victory over New Mexico and a loss to Harvard. Grand Canyon is led by Northern Arizona-transfer DeWayne Russell who has appeared in eight games recently while scoring a team-best 15.5 ppg. Russell is joined by redshirt-freshman guard Joshua Braun and senior guard Royce Woolridge who are adding 10.5 ppg. Grand Canyon ranks fourth in scoring offense averaging 67 ppg and are second in field goal percentage shooting 44% as a team.
The Roadrunners meanwhile continue to be the WAC's best defensive team leading the conference allowing just 61 ppg while also allowing a conference-low 38% shooting to their opponents. Bakersfield also boasts two of the top rebounders in Kevin Mays (Jr., Queens, N.Y., Odessa CC) who's pulling down a WAC second-best 8.2 rpg while Ahmed ranks second in defensive rebounds with nearly five per contest.
The Roadrunners enter with DeShawn Richmond (Jr., Staten Island, N.Y., Broward CC) as one of the top scorers of late. The junior guard has scored at least 20 points in each of the last two contests while also shooting 57% from the field combined and converting 5-of-7 from three-point range.
Saturday's game can be heard live on 1180 AM and 96.1 FM KERN beginning at 5:30 P.M. (PT) with the Dignity Health Pregame Show. Coverage can also be heard via the Tune In Radio App for smartphones.
The Roadrunners open the home portion of their WAC schedule on Thursday, January 15 when they host New Mexico State at 7 P.M. at the Icardo Center. Tickets are available now at www.vallitix.com.
