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RickeyHoldenGON03
Courtesy of Gonzaga Athletics
62
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 11-6, 3-1 WAC
73
Winner New Mexico St. NMSU 13-4, 2-1 WAC
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
11-6, 3-1 WAC
62
Final
73
New Mexico St. NMSU
13-4, 2-1 WAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 29 33 62
New Mexico St. NMSU 22 51 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

`Runners Let Lead Slip in Road Loss to NMSU



LAS CRUCES, N.M. – In a tale of two halves, CSU Bakersfield's men's basketball team sprinted out ahead of the Western Athletic Conference's defending champion, NM State, but the Roadrunners were unable to answer the Aggie rally in the second half. After a hard-fought battle that featured seven lead changes in the final 15 minutes, the `Runners fell on the road, 73-62.

When asked about the second-half surge by NMSU, CSUB Head Coach Rod Barnes took nothing away from his opponent: "They have a good team. We didn't do ourselves any favors, but we put ourselves in position to get a win. Give New Mexico State credit. They have won a lot of games and they have won a lot of games here. When you go on the road, teams are going to make a run and they made a run today."

NM State improved to 13-4 this year and enjoys a 9-1 record in the Pan American Center on the season. The Aggies handed the `Runners their first lost of Western Athletic Conference play, but CSUB (11-6, 3-1 WAC) will return home as one of the WAC leaders through the first two weeks. Bakersfield will have an opportunity to defend its perfect, 6-0 record in the Icardo Center next week in a pair of home games.

The first half started rolling for the `Runners when a layup by Darius Williams began an 11-0 run that found CSUB leading its host 20-9. The streak was capped by a pair of dazzling plays with fellow redshirt sophomores Greg Lee and Taze Moore connecting for a backside alley oop dunk followed by Moore returning the favor, hitting Lee for a wide-open three-pointer with 8:33 left in the half.

The Aggies responded to that run with a small one of their own, but the `Runners were able to fend it off and maintain an eight to ten point lead most of the first half. CSUB's biggest lead came with six minutes left when Damiyne Durham's driving layup went in, putting Bakersfield ahead 24-12. The Aggies nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut CSUB's advantage to seven points, 29-22.

With its deep bench on display, Bakersfield had eight of ten `Runners who played in the opening half score at least two points. Senior Rickey Holden led all student-athletes with seven points while Durham, a redshirt senior, chipped in five points and four rebounds.

As a team, CSUB outscored NMSU 16-6 in the paint during the opening 20 minutes. The `Runner defense also limited the Aggies to just 29% shooting from the field and 14% from beyond the arc. NM State came into the game averaging 78 points a game and CSUB was able to hold the Aggies to just 22 points in the first half.

From a 36-27 `Runner edge, the Aggies made a 13-0 run in the first five minutes of the second half to take their first lead of the game. Holden finally cut the run with back-to-back baskets, going ahead for a short while, but the two teams would trade the lead four times over a 73-second span.

Jarkel Joiner hit a free throw with 10:36 left in the game to tie the score at 45 points apiece, but NM State rallied with a 5-0 run to go back up on the `Runners. With under seven minutes left, Joiner converted a three-point play to put CSUB ahead again, 54-52, but NMSU answered with another three to regain the lead 30 seconds later.

NMSU's Johnny McCants, the Aggie hero from Thursday night's half-court buzzer beater, made back-to-back layups to put his team ahead. Later, Eli Chuha sunk a pair of free throws to give NMSU its biggest lead of the game to that point, 61-54, with 4:22 remaining.

The `Runners fought to the end of an intense battle inside the Pan American Center, but NMSU, spurred on by a raucous home crowd, staved off the rally. A driving layup sealed the deal for the Aggies, who went ahead 66-56 with 1:20 left on the clock. CSUB cut the advantage to single digits twice in the final minute, but NM State hit its free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory, 73-62.

Holden, a native of Laurel, Miss., posted a game-high 19 points on Saturday with three rebounds and three assists. Joiner, who hails from Oxford, Miss., scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to help the `Runners stay in the game. The guard got to the glass six times, equaling Suber for CSUB's high in rebounds.

The Aggies' 51-point second half was driven by 61% shooting in the period. Still, Bakersfield held NMSU to 73 points and has only allowed two opponents, USC and No. 5/8 Gonzaga, to score over 75 points in 17 games this season. The `Runners won the battle of the boards in Las Cruces, 37-36, but the Aggies got 45 points from their bench in the victory.

CSUB will return to Bakersfield to prepare for another pair of WAC games next week. The `Runners are hosting two games in the Icardo Center with Kansas City coming to town on Thursday, Jan. 17, and Chicago State making a visit Saturday, Jan. 19.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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