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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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JustinEdlerDavisMN01
Mark Nessia/Mark Nessia Photography
79
Winner UTRGV UTRGV 14-12, 6-4 WAC
74
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 15-9, 6-4 WAC
Winner
UTRGV UTRGV
14-12, 6-4 WAC
79
Final
74
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
15-9, 6-4 WAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
UTRGV UTRGV 32 36 11 79
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 45 23 6 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

`Runners Falter in Overtime Loss to UTRGV



BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A pair of overtime losses in a span of three days made for a challenging week of Western Athletic Conference men's basketball play for CSU Bakersfield. Despite a game-high 20 points from Jarkel Joiner and a double-double from Justin Edler-Davis, the Roadrunners fell to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 79-74, on Saturday night.

"This was another tough game for us," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners. "It was a very close game in overtime. It's been a tough week and a half. We had a month with a lot of success and I told our guys we're the same team we were before the last three games. We played two of the better teams in our league and Rio Grande did a good job to go on the road and get two wins."

Barnes went on to comment on what he felt happened as CSUB's lead slipped away late on Saturday night: "I didn't think we capitalized on the opportunities we had to change the game. Once the score got close, we were in foul trouble and I thought it affected us more than it affected them. There's a lot of basketball left…We just have to play with a little bit more confidence and be a bit more aggressive."

From a 13-11 lead seven minutes into the first half, CSUB went on an 11-3 run to open up a nine-point advantage. The `Runners continued to surge and found themselves up 30-16 after senior Rickey Holden knocked down a pair of free throws with just under eight minutes left in the period.

UTRGV cut its deficit to single digits one more time in the opening 20 minutes, but Edler-Davis hit a pair of free throws to put CSUB up 43-26 with less than three minutes remaining. A late spurt helped the Vaqueros keep the `Runners close as Bakersfield went to halftime with a 45-32 lead.

In the first half, Joiner posted a game-high 10 points while Holden added 12 points and four assists. Edler-Davis also added nine points and five rebounds and junior Darius Williams chipped in four points, two rebounds, and a block in 10 minutes off the bench. CSUB shot 48% from the field in the opening period while holding the Vaqueros to 41%.

The `Runners maintained their double-digit lead through the first 12 minutes of the second half when UTRGV's Greg Bowie II sank a pair of free throws to make the score 64-55. From a 68-58 advantage, CSUB allowed its visitor to go on a 10-0 run over the next five minutes. In the final 90 seconds of the game, both teams missed a couple of looks at a potential game-winner and CSUB went to overtime for the second time this week.

UTRGV jumped out of the gate with a 7-2 run and was able to keep CSUB at bay in the overtime period. The `Runners had an opportunities to tie the game, but they missed crucial free throws down the stretch. The Vaqueros hit all six of their free throws in overtime as CSUB fell by a final score of 79-74. The UTRGV point guard, Jason Levi, scored six points in the five extra minutes to lead his team past the `Runners.

On the game, Joiner scored 20 points including a 7-for-7 showing at the free throw line. Edler-Davis, a native of San Diego, Calif., wrapped up the game with his first double-double of the season after posting 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Both teams were in foul trouble all night thanks to a combined total of 62 fouls called. UTRGV had three student-athletes disqualified due to five fouls while CSUB saw two `Runners go to the bench for the same reason. Bakersfield out-rebounded UTRGV 46-39, but the Vaqueros outshot the `Runners, making 40% of their attempts compared to CSUB's 36%.

With the loss, CSUB fell to 15-9 overall and is now tied with UTRGV for fourth-place in the WAC standings with a 6-4 record in league play. Bakersfield now enters the home stretch of the regular season with five of their final six games on the road. Next week, the `Runners will take on Chicago State on Valentine's Day before rounding out the weekend at Kansas City on Saturday, Feb. 16.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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