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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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JarkelJoinerTCU01
Ellman Photography
61
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 0-1
66
Winner TCU TCU 1-0
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
0-1
61
Final
66
TCU TCU
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 37 24 61
TCU TCU 28 38 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

`Runners Let Late Lead Slip Against No. 20 TCU



FORT WORTH, Texas – A hard-fought battle against a Top 25 opponent resulted in a tough loss for CSU Bakersfield's men's basketball team on Wednesday night. Battling No. 20 TCU on the road, the Roadrunners led by as many as 11 points and as late as 3:22 left in the game, but the Horned Frogs, a 2018 NCAA Tournament participant and the 2017 NIT Champion, came from behind to take a 66-61 victory on their home court.

"I'm proud of our kids and the effort they put in tonight," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "[TCU] are a good basketball team. I have a lot of respect for them. We have a lot of guys playing in a game like this for the first time. This was a program game."

The first nine minutes of Wednesday night's contest featured back and forth play from both teams. A 12-3 run over a four-minute span led CSUB to its biggest lead, 29-18, thanks to an emphatic, alley-oop dunk from Greg Lee to Taze Moore.

Later in the half, TCU cut its deficit to six points at 31-25 with a pair of free throws from Yuat Alok, but a pair of Jarkel Joiner free throws increased CSUB's lead back to nine points with just under four minutes remaining. The `Runners held on to that margin and went into the locker room with a 37-28 halftime lead.

As a team, CSUB shot lights out through the first 20 minutes of action, converting on 13-of-25 (.520) field goals and 5-of-11 (.455) three-pointers. A well-balanced offense, featuring four `Runners with six or more points, was led by redshirt senior Damiyne Durham's eight points.

The `Runners extended their lead back out to 11 points in the second half at 41-30 on a fast-break layup by Joiner. A 6-0 run by the Horned Frogs cut into the CSUB lead, pulling TCU within two points at 44-42 with just under 12 minutes late. After a strong stretch of defense by both teams, TCU finally tied the game at 46-46 on a layup from Alok.

A Joiner three-pointer put the `Runners ahead 55-51, but the two teams found themselves knotted up at 57 with just over three minutes left in the game. A hook shot by Alok put TCU ahead by three points, 61-58, with 1:44 left on the clock.

Durham, a native Texan, drained a contested three-pointer with 20.9 seconds left to bring the `Runners within two points. Alas, the Horned Frogs hit their free throws down the stretch and the `Runner rally came up just short as CSUB fell by five points.

Joiner, a sophomore from Oxford, Miss., recorded a game-high 18 points in Schollmaier Arena. Off the bench, Durham contributed 11 points and four rebounds in his home state. Senior Rickey Holden and redshirt sophomore Taze Moore each chipped in five assists for the `Runners.

Defensively, the `Runners limited the Horned Frogs to just 66 points on 46% shooting, a strong showing against an offense that averaged 82 points per game last season. Despite being undersized, CSUB out-blocked TCU 4-2 on the night.

CSUB (0-1) will return to Bakersfield on Thursday and will have little time off to prepare for its next matchup. On Friday morning, the `Runners will play host to Antelope Valley for CSUB's annual Education Day. Tipoff on Friday is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Icardo Center. Season tickets are still available for CSUB's home games. For more information, click here.

~GoRunners.com~
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