BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Roadrunner men's basketball team went back and forth in a very tight game against Northern Arizona on Saturday night, but turnovers plagued CSU Bakersfield, which fell by a score of 60-52 in the Icardo Center.
"It's going to be harder for this team than the last two teams because the target is on our back," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "We're younger than we have been, so, our focus and our urgency has got to be there. I don't want to take anything from [Northern Arizona] because they did they things you need to do to win, but with this particular team, with what we've gone through and what we've done, to come up short tonight is disappointing."
The first half was a tug of war with both teams playing tight defense; neither team led by more than five points, the score was tied seven times, and there were five lead changes. Freshman Jarkel Joiner led all players with seven points at the half while three `Runners – Greg Lee, Moataz Aly, and Damiyne Durham – had five points each.
The `Runners enjoyed a good chunk of the lead in the second half, but NAU tied the game again at 40-40 with just under 13 minutes remaining. The Lumberjacks took their first lead since late in the first half moments later on a goaltending call. From there, the lead changes continued to rack up as the two teams finished the game with 10 ties and 10 lead changes.
From being down 48-47 at 6:27, NAU went on a 11-1 run over the next five and a half minutes to gain its largest lead of the game at 58-49. The `Runners responded with a three-pointer by Joiner with 23 seconds left, but the Lumberjacks would seal the deal and take a 60-52 victory.
CSUB finished the game with a season-high 25 turnovers, while forcing NAU to give up 23 of their own. The `Runners shot just 39% from the field and 25% from three-point range.
Seniors Aly and Shon Briggs led the `Runners with eleven points apiece on Saturday. Joiner chipped in 10 points and two steals. Redshirt senior Brent Wrapp contributed five assists and five rebounds while junior Rickey Holden had eight points, four rebounds, and four assists against NAU.
The `Runners will be back on the road for a game at Fresno State on Tuesday, Dec. 5, and Barnes is ready to get his team focused for the next challenge: "We don't have time to rest or feel sorry for ourselves. We've known what kind of schedule we've had from Day 1, so, we really have to get this team ready and get prepared to go up to Fresno."
CSUB (4-5) will face off against the Bulldogs (6-2) in the Save Mart Center on Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Fresno, Calif.
~GoRunners.com~
