The win was the 200th for the Roadrunners men's basketball program at the Icardo Center which served as the primary home from 1989-1998 and then saw select dates from 2011-2014, the Roadrunners moved back on campus full-time last season. The 'Runners are now 7-0 at home this year and have won 35 games on the blue court under head coach Rod Barnes.
“I am awfully blessed to get to be the coach that's here during this history-making night because there have been a lot of great players and coaches that have gone before me,” said CSUB head coach Rod Barnes. “Hopefully we can build back the tradition that when you come into the Icardo you can expect to lose.”
CSUB trailed early in the first half but took the lead for good with 13:50 remaining in the first half as both teams traded early transition baskets. The 'Runners struggled to feed Ahmed in the low block as the Portland State defense keyed on the Roadrunners' big man. Ahmed played just 11 minutes in the half but hit a jumper at the buzzer to give the 'Runners a 40-33 halftime lead. Despite the lack of scoring from CSUB's leading scorer Durham and third-leading scorer Ahmed, the 'Runners shot 17-of-27 in the half, good for 63% while also going 3-of-5 from three-point range led by Jaylin Airington who was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point range. Airington would lead all scorers in the ball game with 15 points on 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range.
“I'm happy, I told our guys I am thankful to be going home for Christmas and feeling really good about ourselves,” Barnes said. “We have to get back because we have a tough road ahead of us in late December and early January.”
CSUB stretched their second-half lead to 12 points less than a minute into the second half when Airington hit his fourth three-pointer. The Vikings responded with an 8-1 run to cut the lead to four points with 13:54 remaining. That's when Durham started an impressive display of three-point shooting as the redshirt freshman guard hit tough contested three-pointers with 12 minutes, 10 minutes and 6:30 to play, each time putting an end to pressure from Portland State and stretching the CSUB lead to as many as 14. He had one more three-pointer up his sleeve with 3:13 to play to give the Roadrunners and 15-point lead with just over three minutes remaining.
“Damiyne was Damiyne,” Barnes said of his sharp shooter. “It was just one of those games that we needed from him to help separate us because every time they [Portland State] got some air there he ended up knocking one down so it was a big game for us and a big win for us.”
Ahmed was also important in that same stretch scoring four field goals for CSUB while going 5-of-7 from the field in the game. Kevin Mays also came up with important baskets and rebounds as he scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds while shooting 5-of-8 from the field. Dedrick Basile scored nine points in the first half before stomach illness limited his second-half effectiveness although he added a pair of assists to finish with six. Justin Pride would help cover for Basile as he recorded seven assists off the bench while scoring five points.
The Roadrunners shot an impressive 28-of-52 from the field (54%) and were even stronger from three-point range shooting 8-of-13 for 62%. Portland State settled for many three-point looks in the second half as the Roadrunners interior defense tightened up forcing the Vikings to go a mere 5-of-15 from three-point range (32%).
Portland State was led by Cameron Forte who scored 14 points on 7-of-11 from the field while Isaiah Pineiro added 12 on 5-of-11 from the field.
The Roadrunners head to Tempe, Arizona to take on Arizona State on Monday, December 28 for their first-ever meeting with the Sun Devils at 7 P.M. (MT). CSUB returns home on New Year's Eve hosting Morgan State for a 1 P.M. tipoff. Tickets are available at Vallitix.com. Four-game Holiday ticket packages remain available until January 3, log on to GoRunners.com/tix for details.
