TUCSON, Ariz. – A clash with the No. 3 ranked team in the country continued a long road trip for the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team and the Roadrunners gained valuable experience in a road loss against the Arizona Wildcats. CSUB went toe-to-toe with UA's pair of seven-footers, outscoring the Wildcats 36-30 (61% vs. 33%) in the paint, but UA was outstanding on both ends of the court in a 91-59 victory.
"Tonight was a growing experience for our team," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "We will look at the film and see that we have good things happening. We didn't shoot free throws well, which is crucial to break their momentum, but the kids advanced and got more experience and a lot of guys got on the court. Our effort has to get better in crucial situations."
Barnes watched his young squad perform well against one of the nation's top teams and pointed out some of the highlights: "We had 14 offensive rebounds tonight and I was excited about that. Tonight was sort of a coming out for Fallou and Moataz. We established that we can go inside. Jarkel had a good night and that will build confidence that he can do some things."
The `Runners jumped out to an early, 6-2 lead in the opening two minutes. CSUB caught the Wildcats off guard by pounding the paint, a strategy that would work all night for Bakersfield. Arizona responded with an 11-0 run to pass the `Runners and would not give up the lead.
The Wildcats went on another run late in the first half to gain some distance on the `Runners. At the buzzer, a prayer from six feet behind the half-court line went in for Parker Jackson-Cartwright. Arizona took a 44-27 lead into the locker room, but strong post play helped CSUB stick around.
Fallou Ndoye and Moataz Aly, a pair of senior centers, each had six points in the first half despite the Wildcats' duo of seven-footers. As a team, CSUB converted on 67% of their attempts in the paint, but an 0-for-7 half from beyond the arc prevented the `Runners from putting pressure on Arizona. The Wildcats came into the game averaging 51 points per half, but the CSUB defense limited them to 44 points.
A 5-0 run to start the second period thanks to a Damiyne Durham three-pointer and a Jarkel Joiner layup helped the `Runners pull within 12 points. CSUB continued to score at will in the paint, but struggled from outside in Tucson. An 11-4 run by the Wildcats early in the second half helped Arizona open its lead to as many as 24 points.
The `Runners and Wildcats traded points evenly, 10-10, over a four-minute span in the middle of the second. CSUB's players began to get into foul trouble and could not their physical style of basketball. One last Arizona run helped widen the gap to 87-51 with four minutes to play and the Wildcats finished with a 91-59 victory.
Joiner, a freshman guard, led all `Runners with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. The native of Oxford, Miss. added five rebounds and two assists in Tucson. Aly, who hails from Alexandria, Egypt, went 6-for-6 with five dunks on the Wildcats to the tune of 12 points. The senior also chipped in four rebounds and a block in 16 minutes. Redshirt junior Damiyne Durham had eight points, two assists, and three steals against UA.
"[Arizona] is not a normal team," said Barnes, giving credit to the Wildcats. "This team tonight was better than the team we played last year. Seven footers shooting jump shots, guards with post moves. They were awesome and deserve to be ranked in the top 10 teams in the country. We're learning more about our team, our rotations, and what we need and don't need. I'm not down on our kids because I'm excited for what I know is going to happen later on."
In the win over CSUB, Arizona extended its non-conference win streak to 43 games on Thursday. The Wildcats were led by junior guard Allonzo Trier's 28 points in the McKale Center. Deandre Ayton added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the freshman's third-straight double-double.
The `Runners (1-2) have now completed the second game of their 17-day road trip. Next up, CSUB travels to Beaumont, Texas to take on Lamar, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. (CT). The Cardinals are coming off their third-straight victory and were a CIT participant a year ago.
~GoRunners.com~
