Basile, who just 48 hours ago scored 20 points to lead the 'Runners to a win at South Dakota exceeded that career-high with 21 on Monday night shooting 8-of-16 from the field and 3-of-9 from three-point range as the 'Runners used a 19-0 run in the second half overcoming some turnover woes in the win. This is the second three-game winning streak for CSUB this season.
“We'll take the victory, after playing Saturday and coming back I thought our guys played hard,” said head coach Rod Barnes. “I thought we had way too many turnovers, opportunities that we'd normally be scoring but we didn't because we turned the ball over so we've got to try to get that fixed before Wednesday night.”
The Roadrunners and Big Green played a tight first half with CSUB extending the lead to nine on two occasions and were leading by eight with 3:41 left. Dartmouth held the Roadrunners scoreless, banking on CSUB turnovers to cut the half time lead to 30-27. Dartmouth came out of the locker room and tied the game on a three-pointer and took their first lead of the contest at 33-32 following a free throw with 18:44 remaining.
That's where the game changed as Bakersfield rolled off a 19-0 run holding Dartmouth scoreless over the next 6:17. The Roadrunners recorded five steals during the stretch while Basile scored seven points and the CSUB extended their lead to 51-33 with just over 12 minutes to play.
The Green however weren't finished and managed to outscore the 'Runners 18-5 over the next eight minutes to cut the deficit to just four points with just over four minutes remaining. Jaylin Airington would extend the lead to eight points with his second three-pointer of the game but the Green managed another burst to cut the lead to five points with just over a minute remaining. Basile then recorded the last of his three steals and finished with a layup and the 'Runners went 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to close out the win.
“We're a team that continues to make progress, we had balanced scoring and that's important and special to us as far as where we are going with this team,” Barnes said. “I think guys are gaining confidence and that's the most important thing.”
Aly Ahmed recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Roadrunners while shooting 6-of-9 from the field. Brent Wrapp, Kevin Mays and Airington each added 10 points apiece for the 'Runners as they remained a perfect 5-0 at home this season.
The 'Runners outrebounded Dartmouth 44-29 and outscored the Big Green in the paint 46-34. CSUB also recorded a Division I school-record nine blocks, matching the total set two games ago against Northern Arizona and in 2012 against Omaha.
CSUB returns to action Wednesday night as they travel to Fresno State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 P.M., that came will be carried live on Newstalk 1180 and 96.1 FM KERN beginning at 6:30 P.M. CSUB will return home on Saturday taking on Menlo College at 4 P.M.
Tickets are available at by calling 654-BLUE or visiting GoRunners.com/tix. Holiday ticket plans are also on sale for select men's and women's basketball games.
