BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- Following another close road loss on Wednesday night at Fresno State and the end of their three-game winning streak, the CSUB Roadrunners look to start a new streak as they return home for the first of two games before Christmas hosting Menlo College Saturday evening at the Icardo Center.
Bakersfield, who will also host Portland State (3-6) on Tuesday night, will be looking to rebound from Wednesday's game as they look to remain unbeaten at home. The Roadrunners are 5-0 this season at the Icardo Center and are winning home games by an average of 17 points. CSUB has improved their all-time record at the Icardo Center to an astounding 198-29.
The Oaks (7-7) are coming off an 82-69 home loss to Grace College and in their second year as a member of the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference and are currently 1-1 in GSAC play with a win over William Jessup and a loss to The Master's College. They are 1-1 on the season in true road games.
Menlo enters being led by sophomore forward Tyler Evans who is averaging 11 points per game for the Oaks while fellow sophomore guard Mikey Eggleton is adding 10 per contest as well shooting a team-best 40% from three-point range. Eggleton and Evans were limited to a combined five points in the loss to Grace and a managed just 2-of-11 from the field.
Despite their loss on Wednesday night, the CSUB Roadrunners are playing solid basketball as showcased by a balanced scoring effort over the last four games. This week alone senior center Aly Ahmed has recorded his first two double-doubles of the season as he scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Dartmouth in Monday's 69-62 win over the Green before scoring another 15 points and securing 10 rebounds at Fresno State. Ahmed also scored 16 points in CSUB's win at South Dakota last Saturday night. Over the last three games the senior is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per contest while shooting a combined 18-of-31 from the field good for 58%.
Along with Ahmed, Dedrick Basile has been strong offensively scoring career highs of 20 vs. South Dakota and 21 vs. Dartmouth. Basile had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists at Fresno State. Leading scorer Damiyne Durham who comes into Saturday's game averaging 15 points per game scored 15 at Fresno State on 6-of-15 from the field after playing just two minutes over the prior two contests. Kevin Mays is averaging 14 points per game for the 'Runners and is leading the team in rebounds at nine per contest. Bakersfield is outrebounding opponents by a plus-four margin this season and holding opponents to 67 points per contest.
Saturday's game will tip off at 4 P.M. and is the second half of a doubleheader as the CSUB women's basketball team hosts Cal Poly at 1 P.M. Tickets are available at Vallitix.com.
