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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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JustinEdlerDavisMN04
Mark Nessia/Mark Nessia Photography
71
Winner New Mexico St. NMSU 19-4, 8-1 WAc
70
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 15-8, 6-3 WAC
Winner
New Mexico St. NMSU
19-4, 8-1 WAc
71
Final
70
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
15-8, 6-3 WAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
New Mexico St. NMSU 26 36 9 71
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 20 42 8 70

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Buzzer Beater Lifts NMSU Past CSUB in Overtime



BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – When CSU Bakersfield's Jarkel Joiner sank a jumper with 7.3 seconds remaining in overtime of Thursday night's Western Athletic Conference game, the Roadrunners looked primed to move back into a tie for first place in the league standings. In what is not the first heart-breaking loss CSUB has suffered at the hands of New Mexico State in the Icardo Center (see Ian Baker's 2016 dagger in double overtime), the Aggies' Trevelin Quinn buried a three that left his fingertips with less than a second remaining to give NMSU a 71-70 victory in Bakersfield.
 
"We're hurting, but our team got better tonight," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "That's what we want to do. I thought we had some guys handle some situations when there was some stuff going on on the court. It's gut-wrenching, but if our goal is to get better, and I think we did that, then we'll be okay…That's just a part of a growing team and working through the season."
 
Barnes' 2016 squad also felt the growing pains of a devastating loss, but the `Runners were able to recover from back-to-back losses in that season and went on to win 10 of their next 11 games including the WAC Tournament final over NM State. This year's squad will learn from Thursday's tough defeat and move forward with renewed determination.
 
The contest was one of the strangest the Icardo Center has seen in quite a while with both teams struggling to hold on to big leads. The Aggies used an early, 17-2 run to build a 23-6 lead on CSUB. Relying on defensive effort to pull them back into the game, the `Runners finally got their offense rolling and responded with a 14-3 run over the final seven minutes of the half as NMSU limped into halftime with a 26-20 advantage.
 
Despite their own offensive struggles, CSUB's defense limited the Aggies to just 26 points in the opening period while NM State shot 35% from the field and 27% from three-point range. Joiner, a sophomore from Oxford, Miss., led all student-athletes with nine points in the opening period. Redshirt senior James Suber chipped in four points and four rebounds for the `Runners.
 
CSUB continued its momentum from the end of the first half into the second period. Redshirt senior Damiyne Durham sank a trey just two and a half minutes in to tie the score up at 27-27. The `Runners and Aggies traded baskets for the next 14 minutes with neither team gaining more than a five-point advantage on the other.
 
With CSUB holding a one-point lead, Bakersfield went on a 9-0 run to take its biggest lead of the game, 59-49, with just 2:46 left on the clock. A free throw by Justin Edler-Davis put the `Runners ahead by nine with 69 seconds remaining, but multiple turnovers in the final minutes helped NMSU go on a run. The Aggies' Terrell Brown stole the ball and dunked on the other end with 12 seconds remaining, tying the game at 62-62.  Joiner had a look at a game winner, but it was off the mark and the two teams went to overtime, the first time for the `Runners since winning in quadruple overtime in the WAC Tournament two seasons ago.
 
During the overtime period, neither team ever led by more than two points. With the game tied at 68-68, the `Runners retained possession with 21 seconds on the clock thanks to a Cartrell Thompson offensive rebound. After a timeout to develop a plan, Barnes' isolation play for Joiner worked as the 6-foot-1 guard nailed a contested jumper with 7.4 seconds remaining. A few seconds later, Queen's dagger would be reviewed, but his shot was good and sent the Aggies off to their next game as winners, 71-70.
 
Joiner was magnificent again as the sophomore has now scored 22+ points in four of his last five games. The graduate of Oxford High School converted on 11-of-22 field goals for a game-high 25 points while adding seven rebounds. Edler-Davis, a redshirt sophomore, finished with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals for CSUB.
 
With the `Runners in foul trouble, Barnes' bench played key minutes including a season-high 19 from Thompson, a redshirt freshman forward. The native of Compton, Calif. tallied two points and four rebounds on Thursday. Bakersfield native Justin McCall also played an important 12 minutes off the bench, contributing two points and four rebounds as well.
 
The `Runners (15-8, 6-3 WAC) will have no time to mourn over Thursday's loss as a hot UTRGV squad will come to Bakersfield on Saturday. The Vaqueros took a road win from league-leading Grand Canyon on Thursday and will look to continue that momentum against CSUB. Saturday's tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Icardo Center.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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