BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- Ian Baker drained a three-pointer at the buzzer in double-overtime to send the CSUB Roadrunners to their first Western Athletic Conference loss 68-67 Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at the Icardo Center.

The Roadrunners (14-6, 4-1 WAC), who drop to 0-10 against the Aggies (13-8, 5-1 WAC) all time, had several chances to put the game on ice late from the free-throw line but missed a combined five free throws in the final minute of regulation and in the overtime periods, twice opening the door for NM State to tie the game forcing the extra time, and eventually opening the door for the game winner.  Baker took advantage of a Jaylin Airington missed free-throw with seven seconds to go, drove up the left side of the floor and hit the game-winner from 20-feet out of the left arc as time expired.

“I appreciate the effort of our kids, it's one of those games that you want to be in and I thought we missed some free throws down the stretch and missed some opportunities,” said CSUB head coach Rod Barnes. “They've got a really good basketball team and I wasn't surprised that we were going to be in a fight and going to be in a battle and it was a tough shot; at the end but they made the play they needed to make at the end and we didn't.”

CSUB led by as many as 16 in the first half and used tremendous defensive efforts to hold the Aggies' offense to just 7-of-25 from the field (28%) while shooting 12-of-26 themselves (47%). CSUB would lead 41-30 at the break but in the second half didn't have an answer for increased NM State defensive pressure as CSUB was held to just 7-of-25 shooting in the frame.

The key stretch in the contest came in the second half when CSUB extended their lead back to 13 with 10:10 remaining following an Airington three-pointer. CSUB however would go scoreless for the next 9:06 as the Aggies went on a 10-0 run as the Roadrunners were 0-of-4 from the field, turned the ball over four times and missed a pair of free throws. Kevin Mays made 1-of-2 free throws with 1:04 to play, NM State then scored on a pair of their own free throws, and capitalized on a missed CSUB three-pointer with 34 seconds left to tie the game on a Pascal Siakam layup with 16 seconds remaining. Brent Wrapp's three-pointer at the buzzer fell short.

In the first overtime the 'Runners led by four early but missed another pair of key free throws, including one with 1:47 remaining that could have put them up by three points but instead Siakam tied the game on a layup with 1:31 left. Each team traded possessions before CSUB would drive to the basket and have their potential-game-winning shot blocked by Matt Taylor, forcing a second overtime where Baker would come up with the Aggies' heroics.

“To be a very good basketball team, which we are, you can't keep doing some of the fundamental things that we keep doing as far as free-throw shooting,” Barnes said. “This wasn't a loss that was going to cost us everything as far as the season; tough loss for us but proud of our kids and looking forward to getting back Monday and going to work.”

Baker scored 16 points on 6-of-12 from the field and 1-of-3 from three-point range, he was also 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Siakam led all scorers with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Roadrunners were 14-of-25 in the game from the free throw line and were led by Airington's 16 points on 5-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 4-of-8 from the free-throw line. The 'Runners converted just 3-of-15 from three-point range in the loss.

CSUB was a combined 25-of-65 in the game from the field (39%) while the Aggies recovered from the first-half woes to shoot 26-of-61 in the game, good for 43%.

The sellout crowd of 3,880 was the first for CSUB since the 1993 NCAA Division II West Regionals, it was also just the third sellout all time at the Icardo Center. The loss snaps CSUB's six-game winning streak and their 12-game winning streak at home dating back to last season. The Roadrunners will put their four-game winning streak on the line Thursday night when they travel to WAC-leading Grand Canyon who defeated Missouri-Kansas City Saturday night 85-78 in Kansas City.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 P.M. (PT) and can be seen on the WAC Digital Network with radio coverage on Newstalk 1180 and 96.1 FM KERN.