BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The CSUB Roadrunners opened the game on a 21-5 run taking control from the outset in a 68-45 rout of visiting Idaho at the Icardo Center.

The Roadrunners held the Vandals to just two field goals during the first eight minutes of the contest while building the lead that Idaho would never overcome. The Roadrunners managed to beat Vandals down low as Aly Ahmed scored 10 of his game-high 18 points during the first half as the 'Runners added timely three-point shooting from Damiyne Durham who was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first half as the 'Runners led 38-26 at the break.

“I thought our kids came out and executed the game plan and I thought we played extremely hard,” said CSUB head coach Rod Barnes. “They [Idaho] are a good basketball team and I'm just proud that we didn't let up…we've been playing hard but we've done a better job in the last three of four days trying to figure some things out.”

CSUB also managed to force 11 first-half turnovers by the Vandals and 20 total turnovers for the game which led to 24 points for the Roadrunners.

“For the first time I felt like our pressure really hurt someone really bad,” said Barnes. “It's been a couple of years since that has happened…people talk about this team's ability to score but I really believe we can be a great defensive team and scoring will take care of itself.”

The Roadrunners not only managed to work the ball inside of the tough Idaho defense but also took advantage of perimeter opportunities with Durham's 5-for-10 effort and a combined 9-of-18 for the team from three-point range. Brent Wrapp and Kevin Mays both managed to shoot their first career three-pointers in the win.

“That's a testament to them [Wrapp and Mays], because they worked all summer to try to improve their game and I thought they did a really good job of doing that,” Barnes said.

The Roadrunners held Idaho to just 12-of-40 from the field (30%) while they limited leading scorer Perrion Callandret to just six points on 1-of-9 from the field. The Roadrunners shot 21-of-51 from the field good for 41%. CSUB also converted 17-of-20 free throws in the win.

CSUB also improved to an impressive 195-29 at the Icardo Center. The Roadrunners played on campus from 1988-1997 before moving to downtown Rabobank Arena for several seasons. This marks the second season CSUB has played exclusively at the Icardo Center.

The Roadrunners have opened the season 2-0 for the first time in their NCAA Division I history and for the first time since their final NCAA Division II season in 2005-2006. They will look to move to 3-0 on Friday afternoon as they host Fresno Pacific at the Icardo Center. That “Education Day” game will feature a field trip by several Kern County schools and a special Noon tip off.

That game can be heard on 1230 AM and 98.1 FM ESPN and watched via the Roadrunner Sports Network.