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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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JustinEdlerDavisNE06
Nick Ellis
49
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 2-4,0-0 WAC
77
Winner Gonzaga Gonz 6-0,0-0 WCC
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
2-4,0-0 WAC
49
Final
77
Gonzaga Gonz
6-0,0-0 WCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 21 28 49
Gonzaga Gonz 39 38 77

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Turnovers Costly in CSUB's Loss to No. 8 Gonzaga



SPOKANE, Wash. – Taking on the eighth-ranked team in the country, the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team faced a tough challenge in Saturday night's road game against Gonzaga. The Bulldogs, who have now won 27-straight home games, gradually pulled away from the Roadrunners and CSUB was never able to close the gap, falling to the Zags by a final score of 77-49.

"We were not aggressive in the first half and we have to get better on the road," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "We took too many chances. We had some offensive plays where we should have taken our time. It's just a learning process…If you give a team the chance to build a lead, especially a Top 10 team in the country, they get comfortable and it's hard to come back."

Turnovers plagued the `Runners on Saturday night as CSUB gave away possession 27 times on Saturday against No. 8 Gonzaga. The host Bulldogs also made 25 free throws compared to CSUB's six as Gonzaga's precise play sank the `Runners in Spokane.

The bright spot of the night for CSUB was its defensive effort as Bakersfield held Gonzaga well below its scoring average of 90.6 points per game. The Zags also shot 44.9 percent from the field compared to its norm of 53.0 percent. The `Runners also tied the Top 10 Bulldogs on points in the paint with 26 apiece.

On the night, redshirt junior Justin Edler-Davis heated up from behind the arc, going 3-for-5 from distance on his way to a team-high 11 points. All but one `Runner scored in Saturday night's road game with junior forward Greg Lee chipping in eight points and five rebounds in 17 minutes. Richmond transfer De'Monte Buckingham tallied a team-high seven rebounds with four other `Runners grabbing five boards.

The Bulldogs opened the game on a 10-2 run to gain early control of the action. Around six minutes in, Shawn Stith and Taze Moore both got into the paint and converted on layups to cut the Zags' lead to just four points at 12-8. Gonzaga stretched its lead to 11 points at 21-10 on an old-fashioned three-point play, but the `Runners would push back, closing the gap to seven points at 24-17 with just over eight minutes to play in the period.

Gonzaga responded with a 6-0 spurt, but Stith fought through a pair of trees and converted a layup just before the shot clock buzzer to keep the Bulldogs from pulling away. A 10-2 sprint down the stretch helped the Zags take a 39-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The host Bulldogs capitalized on Bakersfield's miscues in the opening period. The `Runners committed 13 turnovers to Gonzaga's five in the first half while CSUB's big men got into foul trouble in The Kennel.

CSUB and Gonzaga played an even first four minutes of the second half with both teams scoring eight points each. The Bulldogs began to surge again, using an 18-4 push to gain a 61-31 lead over the `Runners. With just over four minutes remaining, Gonzaga took a 36-point lead, its largest of the night, at 77-41, but the `Runners locked down on defense and scored the final eight points as time expired with a final score of 77-49.

Bakersfield (2-4) will return to the confines of the Icardo Center to begin a four-game home stand on Tuesday, Nov. 26. The `Runners will host Sam Houston State in the first of four games on the Kern Schools Court over an eight-day span. CSUB will also welcome Hampton (Nov. 29), San Diego Christian (Nov. 30), and UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 3) around the Thanksgiving holiday.

With 13 home games remaining in the season, season tickets are still available for CSUB men's basketball games. `Runner fans can look into season ticket options as well as single-game tickets at GoRunners.com/tickets.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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