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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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JamesSuberNE05
Nick Ellis
56
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 3-4
68
Winner South Dakota USD 4-3
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
3-4
56
Final
68
South Dakota USD
4-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 21 35 56
South Dakota USD 35 33 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Suber's Double-Double Not Enough On Road At USD



VERMILLION, S.D. – Despite a career day from redshirt senior James Suber that spurred a second-half comeback, CSU Bakersfield fell short on the road against South Dakota. The Roadrunners trailed by as many as 17 points late in the first half and cut that deficit to just five points in the second period, but the Coyotes held on for a 68-56 victory in the Sanford Coyotes Sports Center.

"We didn't play very hard in the first half," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "I don't know whether travel had something to do with it or we just didn't do a good job. In the second half, I thought we were stronger. We had dug a big hole for ourselves. Even though we made a valiant comeback…we can't come on the road and play the way we did in the first half and expect to win."

The opening five minutes of Saturday's game featured a defensive battle with the home team leading the `Runners 6-5. Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Dickerson came off the bench and provided a spark with an assist to help the `Runners pull within one point with 11:39 left in the period.

South Dakota used a 13-2 run in the middle of the first half to take a 20-9 lead over the `Runners with just under seven minutes remaining. The defensive effort was high for CSUB, but the Bakersfield offense struggled to catch up. Behind a game-high 16 points for Stanley Umude in the first half, USD took a 35-21 lead to the locker room.

Defense sparked an 8-2 run for the `Runners, who cut the Coyotes lead to single digits at 40-31 just five minutes into the second period. Suber was a big catalyst during the run, making two blocks, pulling down five rebounds, and scoring four points for CSUB in the spurt. The `Runners drew within five points after a Suber block led to a bucket on the other end for junior Kevin McNeal with just under 12 minutes left in the half.

USD ballooned its lead to 14 points again, 57-43, with just under six minutes remaining. The `Runners maintained pace with their hosts, but were unable to close the gap and eventually fell by a final score of 68-56. Free throws proved to be a determining factor in Vermillion as CSUB converted 8-of-11 (72.7%) from the charity stripe, but USD got to the line 31 times and hit 26 attempts.

Suber, a native of Philadelphia, tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday afternoon for his first double-double as a Roadrunner. When asked about Suber's big performance, Barnes applauded his senior forward but challenged the other `Runners to match his effort: "He's a competitor. He put it on the line today and really fought for us. We need more guys who we can depend on to step up. We'll go back to the drawing board. They are good kids; they listen and learn. We'll be ready to go Tuesday night."

Fellow senior Rickey Holden also contributed a team-high 14 points for the `Runners to go with five assists. Sophomore Jarkel Joiner chipped in 10 points and five rebounds on Saturday while redshirt senior Damiyne Durham added eight points and five boards for CSUB.

The `Runners (3-4) will return to the Icardo Center for the first time in nearly a month on Tuesday, Dec. 4, to host UC Merced. The Bobcats will come to Bakersfield, Calif. with a 6-2 record while CSUB will be looking to get back in the win column with a victory on the Kern Schools Court.

~GoRunners.com~
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