LAS CRUCES, NM- The CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners embark on their final Western Athletic Conference regular-season road trip this week with stops at first-place New Mexico State on Thursday and with a Saturday match up looming at UT Rio Grande Valley. While both games hold high importance for the Roadrunners who are currently in second-place in the WAC, Thursday's matchup with first-place NM State will be a chance to put themselves at the top of the league standings with three games remaining.
The Roadrunners (18-7, 8-2 WAC) fell to the Aggies 68-67 in front of a sellout crowd in Bakersfield on January 23 when Ian Baker hit a 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer in double overtime to lift the Aggies to the victory. The 'Runners led by as many as 15 points in the game but struggled in the second half with nearly a 10-minute scoreless stretch that allowed NM State to force the tie and the overtime periods. CSUB also struggled from the free-throw line in that game going 14-of-25 from the charity stripe while missing several key ones late that would have put the game away.
CSUB has won four of their last five since that loss and enters Thursday with on a four-game winning streak following Saturday night's 91-68 dismantling of Utah Valley. With a chance at the regular-season title still on the line for the 'Runners, head coach Rod Barnes says each game is big for his team.
“We're trying to put ourselves in a position to win the league and this is a pretty big game being this late in the season,” Barnes said. “If we win the game we still have a chance if we lose we're running out of games for them to lose so we can catch up.”
The 'Runners enter as the best defensive team in the WAC allowing a league-low 64.4 points per game. NM State however is a close second allowing just 64.8 points per contest. The Aggies are coming off a non-conference loss on Monday night 71-41 at Wichita State in a makeup game from earlier this season. They are riding a 33-game WAC home winning streak dating back to 2012, it's the second-longest conference winning streak in the nation behind Stephen F. Austin which has won 38-straight Southland Conference home games.
Offensively, Thursday night's matchup boasts arguably the best post play in the WAC with conference leading scorer Pascal Siakam leading the Aggies with 22 points and 12 rebounds per game. Center Aly Ahmed leads the Roadrunners with 15 points (6th-most in the WAC) per game while forward Kevin Mays is averaging 12 for the 'Runners and is third in the WAC in rebounds per game with eight per contest. Mays is also second in offensive rebounds per game at 3.56 behind Siakam's conference-best 4.04.
Tipoff Thursday is schedule for 7 P.M. (MT) with coverage available on Newstalk 1180 and 96.1 FM KERN. The game is also being televised on ESPN 3.
