OREM, Utah – Western Athletic Conference play got off to a slow start for CSU Bakersfield's men's basketball team as the Roadrunner offense could not find a rhythm in the second half of its road loss to Utah Valley. The Wolverines ran to the end of a 75-42 victory despite the `Runners trailing by just one point at halftime on Saturday night.
"We have got to step up to the plate and tonight, we didn't do that in the second half," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "It's bits and pieces. We have to build on that. I thought Justin Davis had a really solid game tonight. Moataz Aly was also good, but we have some guys that have to step up. This is not indicative of our program. Give credit to Utah Valley; they are a good team. We're going to get better and figure out a way to beat them at home."
CSUB tooks its first lead of the game, 12-10, almost halfway through the first half on redshirt freshman Davis' three-pointer. Late in the period, Aly threw down his third slam dunk to tie the game up at 23-23, but a UVU trey put the Wolverines back ahead with just over a minute to go. A pair of free throws by Davis with two seconds left made the score 26-25 as the two teams went to the break.
Utah Valley came into the game averaging just over 81 points per game as the `Runner defense limited the Wolverines well below their halftime average. Aly, a senior center, led all student-athletes with nine points while adding three rebounds and a block. Davis finished the half with eight points and three boards of his own while redshirt senior Brent Wrapp chipped in four rebounds and four assists.
After a strong first half, the `Runner offense struggled in the final 20 minutes and UVU's offense surged. The Wolverines started the second half quickly, making a 10-0 run to open up a 36-25 lead on the `Runners. A layup by Davis finally broke the drought at 15:21, but another UVU run helped the Wolverines sprint to a 56-34 lead with just under eight minutes left in the game.
The `Runners were unable to get their offense going and Utah Valley wrapped up the game with a 75-42 victory on their home court. UVU improved to 12-5 on the year with the win while CSUB fell to 7-9. The 33-point loss was CSUB's largest margin of defeat in a WAC game since its first year in the conference (lost at UVU, 97-55, 2013-14).
In a tale of two halves, CSUB shot just 27% from the field in the second period while converting only 2-of-13 from behind the arc. On the game, Davis led all `Runners with 12 points while adding six rebounds, both totals just one shy of his season bests. Senior Shon Briggs and Aly both chipped in 11 points while the former pulled down a game-high eight boards.
CSUB will return to the Icardo Center next week to open its WAC home schedule. The `Runners will host UTRGV on Thursday, Jan. 11, before getting a rematch with New Mexico State on Saturday, Jan. 13. Both games are set for 7 p.m. tipoffs and are sure to be big-ticket events in Bakersfield, so, visit this link or call 661-654-BLUE early in the week to secure your seat.
~GoRunners.com~
