BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- The CSUB Roadrunners continue their three-game home stand on Saturday night as they also look to win their third straight and stay near the top of the Western Athletic Conference standings as they host Chicago State (4-21, 0-8 WAC) at the Icardo Center.
The 'Runners defeated the Cougars 67-56 last month in Chicago behind 22 points from senior center Aly Ahmed. The Cougars are still in search of their first WAC win this season, they narrowly missed that mark on Thursday night as Brendan Westendorf hit a three-pointer with 25 seconds left for Seattle to tie the game and then as regulation ended, banked in the game-winner from 41 feet away sending Chicago State to their 12th straight loss.
The Roadrunners are on the other end of the coin, in a tie with Grand Canyon for second place in the WAC after the 'Lopes 20-point loss at New Mexico State on Thursday. The 'Runners are one-game back of first place and are looking to extend their latest winning streak to three games. CSUB managed a 77-66 win over Missouri-Kansas City on Thursday night, never trailing and putting the game away by scoring on key possessions late and converting from the free-throw line. Dedrick Basile led the charge with 20 points for CSUB including a 4-of-7 night from three-point range. Jaylin Airington added 15 while Kevin Mays scored 13 for the Roadrunners.
“We have to take it one game at a time to put ourselves in the best position we possibly can because if we do that we'll move forward,” said CSUB head coach Rod Barnes. “We're trying to make sure we stay on top of our game but our guys are focused, we're locked in and we'll be prepared when Chicago State gets here on Saturday.”
The win Thursday matched CSUB's best Division I win total which came in Barnes' first season when the squad was 16-14 as an NCAA independent. CSUB will be looking for their 17th win for the first time since the 2005-06 season, their last as an NCAA Division II program.
Aly Ahmed enters Saturday's game leading CSUB with 14 points per game and is 26 shy of 1,000 career points as a Roadrunner. CSUB has been balanced of late with five players averaging in double figures while the team is third in the WAC in scoring offense averaging 73 points per game and leads the conference in scoring defense allowing a conference-low 65 points per game.
Chicago State is led by Fred Sims Jr. and his 11 points per game, he's joined by Clemmye Owens who is averaging 10 per game as well. Chicago State is averaging 69 points per game, while allowing 78 per contest this season.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 P.M. with coverage available on both 1230 AM/98.1 FM ESPN and on the WAC Digital Network. It's also “Mascot Wars” night as team and corporate mascots from around Kern County will be on hand and entertain fans all evening. Tickets are available by calling 654-BLUE or visiting www.vallitix.com.
